


These Names On Our Skin

by IceQueenRia



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M, soul mates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-05
Updated: 2017-10-25
Packaged: 2018-10-28 09:31:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 32,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10828518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceQueenRia/pseuds/IceQueenRia
Summary: Any time after the age of 13, a name will appear on a person’s skin. But not just any name, this is the name of their intended soul mate. As a hopeless romantic, Kurt Hummel yearns for the day he will meet his soul mate, Blaine Anderson. Not willing to play by the rules, Sebastian Smythe is determined to defy destiny, fate and expectations. So he makes the choice to tattoo over the name on his skin and brands himself with Kurt’s name instead.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to do a Soul Mate fic for ages. I've finally decided to give it a go. Hope you enjoy.

Prologue

Waking up on his thirteenth birthday, Kurt Hummel felt a tingling across his left hip. Scrambling out of his covers and carefully pushing down his pyjama pants, his eyes took in the name that had appeared on his skin; Blaine Anderson.

Hearing his dad call to him for breakfast, Kurt quickly hid the name from view. He’d long expected a boy’s name to appear on his skin one day but that was not something he’d ever discussed with his dad and he honestly didn’t know how to broach such a subject. Heading downstairs, Kurt made sure to school his features so as not to let on that a name had appeared upon his flesh. 

“Happy Birthday, kiddo,” Burt grinned at him as he gestured to the slightly burnt pancakes on the table. 

For Kurt Hummel, he would have to wait a few more birthday’s before he would be comfortable and brave enough to confide in his father about his sexuality and share with him the name on his skin. It would be just a little longer than that before he would meet the boy by the name of Blaine Anderson and things wouldn’t quite go according to plan. 

XXX

For Sebastian Smythe, the name on his skin was on show from the very day he was born. It was a shock for his parents as well as the Doctors and Nurses. Such a thing had never been heard of before and as far as Sebastian was aware such a thing had never been heard of since. The fact that his soul mate’s name ran across his chest from birth had Doctors and Scientists very intrigued. As a young boy, he’d had to endure countless tests and studies as people tried to use him as a tool to learn more about the nature of soul mates. 

There had also been a great deal of interest in the name scribed across his chest. It seemed that the Doctors and Scientists were eager to find the girl who matched the name so they could carry out studies on her also. From what Sebastian could remember, people were searching for the girl for years. Then one day, when Sebastian was nine years old, his father ushered him into a car with Jonas Matthews, one of the Doctors Sebastian was far too familiar with. They drove for many hours and Sebastian was introduced to an old man with a long white beard. The old man invited him inside his house and handed him a photo of a young woman.

“Sebastian,” Doctor Matthews said as he pointed a camcorder at him. “Do you know who the lady in the photo is?”

He looked down at the black and white photo. The woman was probably in her twenties and she was indeed very pretty yet there was sadness in her eyes that tugged at Sebastian’s heart and made his stomach feel funny. He had never seen the woman before, of that he was certain. Yet he instinctively knew who she was.

“Sebastian?” Doctor Matthews pressed and he nodded. “Tell me, Sebastian, tell me who the woman is,” he urged sounding eager and excited. 

Lifting his eyes from the old photograph to look at the camera, Sebastian recited the name that had been marked on his skin since his birth. 

The old man who lived in the house then took Sebastian for a walk. He spoke about the woman, about Sebastian’s soul mate. She had lived and died many decades before Sebastian had even been born. In fact, she had lived and died before his grandparents had been born. She was his soul mate, fate had decided that, yet destiny had cruelly denied them ever being together. They had been born so far apart that the chance of meeting one another had never even been a possibility. 

On that day, as the old man took Sebastian to the grave of the woman whose name he bore across his chest, he decided that he hated destiny and he hated soul mates. From that day on, he refused to let Doctors and Scientists carry out any more experiments on him and he would tell anyone who would listen that soul mates were meaningless and ridiculous. As for the photograph of the woman he would never have the chance to meet, the old man had let him keep it and Sebastian had tucked it away in a box at the back of his closet, never truly forgetting about her, but actively trying not to think of her.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. I of course own nothing.

Chapter 1

Blaine Anderson was perfect. He was handsome, smart and talented with an infectious smile. He was everything Kurt had ever dreamed his soul mate would be. But they were just friends. 

After meeting and getting to know one another a little better, Kurt had learned that Blaine didn’t yet know the name of his soul mate. For now, the younger boy’s skin was name-free. Although Kurt flirted with the idea of showing Blaine his hip and revealing that they were soul mates, he always stopped himself. He thought telling Blaine might scare the other boy away and that it would be better if Blaine learned of their soul mate status the usual way, by the name appearing on his skin whenever fate deemed it to be the right time. 

So, friendship it was, until Blaine kissed him. Then they became boyfriends, Blaine’s skin still void of Kurt’s name and the Dalton boy being unaware that his boyfriend was also his soul mate. 

They held hands, they hugged, they read Vogue together and they shared many kisses but Kurt never let it go further than that. He couldn’t risk Blaine seeing his name across his hip so clothes remained on at all times when in each other’s company. Kurt just hoped that his name would appear somewhere on Blaine’s skin soon. 

XXX

“And that’s why soul mates are a big giant ball of suck,” Puck concluded his rant to an unimpressed Santana. The name of Puck’s soul mate had recently appeared around his right nipple and he was none too pleased with the idea of having to commit to just one woman. “Stupid thing,” he grumbled pulling at his shirt to frown at the marking surrounding his nipple. “I should be with someone’s hot mum or a group of sexy sorority sisters not whoever the hell this is,” he glared at the name, not having any idea who Harmony Hamilton might be. “She could be a nerd, or some heinous beast, or a massive prude who won’t put out.”

“Are you done with your whining?” Santana asked impatiently.

“Screw you, Lopez,” Puck huffed in annoyance. “You were a lot cooler before Britt’s name appeared you know.”

“Say a word against Brittany and I will end you,” Santana threatened as she placed a hand to the back of her neck protectively. “You may have got a shitty deal with the soul mate thing,” she acknowledged. “But maybe not. The least you can do is try to look this Harmony chick up. She might be a total hottie with plenty of money and no gag reflex. But you won’t know until you man up enough to grow a pair and actually try to find her.”

“Whatever,” Puck grumbled and Santana rolled her eyes at him, muttered ‘loser’ under her breath, then sashayed over to Brittany, placing her hand on the blonde’s leg where she knew her own name to be marked across her soul mate’s thigh, the elegant lettering barely concealed by the pleats of the Cheerio skirt. “Soul mate’s suck,” he muttered to himself again and Rachel offered a sympathetic smile from a couple of seats down. He patted the chair next to him, indicating for her to join him.

“Hey, Noah,” she said sitting down beside him.

Puck felt comfortable with Rachel beside him. She always seemed to understand him in a way a lot of other people didn’t. They seemed to have their own special bond. Not a soul mates bond of course, something different. Maybe it was because they were both Jewish, or because Rachel had a negative opinion on the whole soul mate concept too. She hadn’t always felt that way though.

For a time, Rachel got all moon-eyed over the idea of soul mates, fully believing in all the fairytales her dads had read to her when she was a little girl. The Glee Club had often listened to her perform her own rendition of all the classic soul mate love songs. They had also been subjected to a number of intense duets between Rachel and Finn, the girl convinced that his name was destined to appear on her skin. 

It hadn’t. Not that anyone other than Puck actually knew that fact. Rachel hadn’t even confided in her dads about the name that had appeared on her lower back. Finn Hudson was not Rachel Berry’s soul mate. As it happened, Lucy Fabray was the name on Rachel’s skin. These days, Lucy was better known as Quinn. She was the head cheerleader and made it no secret that she despised Rachel. The blonde didn’t yet know that Rachel was her soul mate and Rachel had no desire to tell her that fact. 

“Hey, man-hands, can you sit back?” Quinn asked. “Your nose is blocking the light.”

“Ignore her,” Puck murmured putting his arm across the back of Rachel’s chair and shooting Quinn a half-hearted glare. 

“Noah, tell me more about how soul mates suck,” Rachel requested and Puck was more than eager to indulge her.

“Do you think he means it?” Blaine asked Kurt as Puck’s words carried over to the other side of the Choir Room.

“Probably,” Kurt answered. “Puck’s always been very bitter about soul mates even before the name appeared. Not that he has any reason to be so bitter,” Kurt added. “Nobody is as bitter about soul mates as Coach Sylvester though.”

“For good reason,” Artie chipped in fairly. “I don’t know of anybody with a rougher soul mate deal than Coach Sylvester.”

“If the rumours are even true that is,” Mercedes chimed in.

“Rumours?” Blaine asked curiously and Mercedes leaned towards him, eager to share gossip.

“People say she was so enraged by the person allocated as her soul mate that she tried to carve the name out of her skin,” Mercedes revealed and Blaine looked horrified. “But the name couldn’t be removed. It just reappeared somewhere else so she tried cutting the name away again and again but the name kept showing up on another part of her skin. Rumour has it that’s why she always keeps her body covered from head-to-toe in a tracksuit; so nobody can see her mutilated flesh.”

“Could that really be true?” Blaine asked his eyes wide.

“Of course not,” Kurt scoffed. “Nobody would be crazy enough to try and cut their soul mate’s name out of their skin. Not even Sue Sylvester.”

“I heard she always wears tracksuits to hide the fact that no name has ever appeared on her skin and there is no possibility that one ever will. Instead the word ‘alone’ appeared,” Tina said having been listening in on their discussion. “She’s doomed to go through life alone and unloved because it is just impossible for anybody to love her.”

“That can’t be true, that’s just horrible. Even Coach Sylvester deserves to find love and happiness with her soul mate,” Blaine insisted. 

“Maybe she’s like one of the unlucky one’s we learn about in History class,” Artie suggested. “Maybe her soul mate lived and died long before she was even born. That would explain why she’s so angry all the time.”

“Or maybe her soul mate is Mr. Schuester,” Mercedes sniggered. 

“Well we know that’s not true,” Tina replied. “Mr. Schue and Miss Pillsbury are soul mates.”

“Poor Terri Schuester,” Artie said. “Can you imagine marrying your high school sweetheart and then years later they meet their soul mate and just leave you?”

“That does sound heartbreaking,” Blaine acknowledged.

“Personally I don’t think Mr. Schuester should have ever married Terri in the first place,” Kurt declared. “He knew they weren’t soul mates.”

“Plus Terri was kind of a psycho,” Tina added. “If I ever start behaving like that I want you all to slap me.”

“Ok, everybody,” Mr. Schue called for their attention before excitedly launching into his latest idea for the week’s Glee assignment.

“Soul mate ballads, again?” Puck sneered, Rachel backing up his sentiment with an audible groan.

“Soul mate inspired songs always go down well with audiences and judges,” Mr. Schue said. “We should definitely consider having one in our set-list for Regionals. Now, I thought we could get some song ideas by doing duets.”

“I pick Kurt,” Blaine grinned and Kurt smiled back at him.

“It doesn’t work that way, Blaine,” Mr. Schue replied. “Your soul mates are decided by fate and as we’re doing soul mate songs your duet partners will be decided by fate also.” He made a show of bringing out the ‘hat of fate’. “Who would like to go first?”

“I’ll go,” Santana offered getting up and moving to the piano and blindly sticking her hand in the hat to pull out a slip of paper with somebody’s name. “Urgh, no way,” she scoffed after reading Finn’s name. She dropped the paper back in the hat and picked out another. “Absolutely not,” she drawled seeing Rachel’s name. “That’s better,” she grinned as she pulled out Brittany’s name. “Me and Britt’s are so gonna do the best duet. We’re gonna kill it.”

“Nice try, Santana,” Mr. Schue said taking the paper with Brittany’s name away and placing it back in the hat. “But the ‘hat of fate’ has paired you with Finn.”

“Damn it,” Santana groaned before slumping into a seat beside Finn and glaring at him.

“Who’s next?” Mr. Schue asked and Rachel moved up to select Quinn as her partner.

“Oh yuck,” the blonde commented.

“Just shut it, Q,” Puck told her. He awkwardly patted Rachel on the back in a gesture of comfort as she sat down beside him. He himself was then paired with Mercedes while Kurt was set to work with Tina and Blaine was partnered up with Artie leaving Brittany to work with Mike. 

XXX

After Glee, Kurt linked his arm with Blaine’s and led him to his car so he could drive his boyfriend home.

“Now, I don’t want to sound overconfident,” Kurt said excitedly. “But Tina and I have planned costumes for our duet number and it is just going to be fabulous.”

“Well I look forward to seeing it,” Blaine replied supportively. “But somehow I don’t think I can convince Artie to go all out and get dressed up. We’ve decided to keep it low-key and understated. He’s going to play guitar and I’m going to play piano.”

“That’s great, you don’t show off your piano skills nearly enough,” Kurt told him. “And you’re especially wonderful with soul mate songs so I’m sure you and Artie will give a breathtaking performance.”

“I hope so,” Blaine smiled though he sounded somewhat insecure as they climbed into Kurt’s car.

“Are you nervous?” Kurt asked him. “Because, Blaine, every performance you give is magical.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Blaine answered. “I’m just not sure everyone agrees.”

“What do you mean?” Kurt furrowed his brow. “Did Artie say something? Because I’m sure he didn’t mean anything offensive. In fact, he’s one of the only straight guys I know who doesn’t freak out about gays and…”

“No, no, Artie’s great,” Blaine interrupted. “I just… being in New Directions, its great, its fun but…”

“But it’s not The Warblers,” Kurt finished for him. “And McKinley isn’t Dalton.”

“I know it’s just a school,” Blaine said. “I know it’s silly to miss it.”

“It’s not silly at all,” Kurt told him. “I know you miss it. And I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you left Dalton to spend more time with me. It’s the most romantic thing I can imagine anybody doing. To know that you did that for me, it really makes me feel special.”

“You are special,” Blaine smiled leaning in to kiss him. “Oh Kurt,” he sighed resting their foreheads together, his eyes closed. “I’d give anything to have your name appear on my body.”

“Maybe one day it will,” Kurt whispered, sub-consciously placing his hand over his left hip where Blaine’s name rested on his own skin.

“Maybe,” Blaine said longingly and Kurt found himself wrestling with the idea of telling Blaine that they were in fact soul mates. 

“Blaine,” Kurt began to lift his shirt when the other boy’s cell phone started to ring.

“Sorry, one second,” Blaine apologised answering his phone and Kurt tucked his shirt back into the waistband of his pants. “Trent, hey,” Blaine greeted warmly and Kurt started up the engine. “Guess what?” Blaine grinned once he had hung up the phone and they were driving down the road. “The Warblers are working on soul mate duets too.”

“That probably means they’re planning on a soul mate number for Regionals,” Kurt guessed. “Mr. Schue’s right. Soul mate songs go down great with audiences and judges. Plus they’re a lot of fun. Soul mate songs are my favourite.”

“Trent’s too,” Blaine said. “He was really looking forward to this assignment.”

“But?” Kurt prompted sensing that things weren’t going quite to plan for Trent. 

“His partner isn’t quite as enthusiastic,” Blaine revealed. “He’s a new transfer student. Apparently he’s really anti-soul mate.”

“Sounds like Puckerman,” Kurt stated. “I guess there’s a Puck in every Show Choir.”

“Anyway,” Blaine continued sounding a little tentative. “I was thinking, maybe the New Directions and The Warblers could get together for a little friendly competition before Regionals. We don’t even necessarily have to sing as two separate groups. We could all join in together and that way Trent could get to enjoy the soul mate songs a little more.”

“And you could see your friends again,” Kurt added knowingly. 

“I really do miss them,” Blaine admitted.

“I know,” Kurt replied. “I miss them too. And I think a friendly singing session sounds fun.”

“Do you think the others would agree to it?” Blaine asked.

“Leave that to me,” Kurt told his boyfriend. “I’ll talk to Finn and he’ll convince everyone else to get on board.”

“What exactly do you have on Finn?” Blaine wondered.

“Just enough to get him to do what I want,” Kurt smiled wickedly and Blaine laughed as he gazed at his boyfriend in adoration. 

XXX

True to his word, Kurt had coerced his step-brother into convincing the rest of the New Directions to agree to a friendly singing session with The Warblers. He even got Puck to agree, not that the mohawked teen seemed overjoyed at the prospect of more soul mate songs. 

It had been agreed for the session to take place in a neutral location to ensure nobody became territorial. Fortunately it was a nice day so the two Glee Clubs met up at a park between Lima and Westerville. The Warblers had been kind enough to bring food and drink for everybody while the Glee girls had thoughtfully brought along blankets and cushions to spread out on the ground and Puck had brought his guitar. 

“Ladies, gentlemen,” Nick greeted. “Welcome,” he smiled at them all. “In honour of this little event the boys and I threw together this soul mate number to start things off.”

“I admit, this is kind of lovely,” Rachel said coming to sit beside Quinn as The Warblers performed.

“Urgh, please don’t speak to me in public,” Quinn complained as she shifted away from the brunette. 

“Forget her,” Puck whispered in Rachel’s ear. “She doesn’t know.”

As The Warblers performed, Blaine couldn’t contain himself and he was soon up on his feet and joining in with their choreography. Watching on, Kurt found himself approached by a boy he didn’t recognise. The boy extended his hand to him and pulled him to his feet and into the performance. Much like Blaine, Kurt was unable to resist and soon fell in to step with The Warblers. 

“I wanna be a Warbler so bad,” Brittany stated leading the applause when the song was over.

While Blaine talked animatedly with a few of The Warblers, Kurt looked curiously at the boy who had pulled him up to join the performance.

“Great to see you again, Kurt,” Trent smiled. “Any chance you and Blaine will come back to Dalton and rejoin The Warblers. Please?” he begged.

“Sorry,” Kurt shrugged. “McKinley is where I belong. Um, Trent,” he lowered his voice. “Who is that?” he gestured discreetly.

“Oh, that’s Sebastian Smythe,” Trent said. “New transfer student from a very wealthy family. He’s my duet partner for the soul mate assignment. Don’t get me wrong, he’s very talented but he hates the whole soul mate concept.”

“Is there a tragic back story?” Kurt asked.

“Well I heard from Kyle on the swim team that…” Trent began only to stop mid-sentence when Sebastian slung an arm around him.

“Gossip and rumours, Trent?” Sebastian asked. “Well that just isn’t polite now, is it?”

“I, um, see you Kurt,” Trent took his leave and struck up a conversation with Mercedes and Tina on one of the blankets.

“Kurt?” Sebastian repeated. “Pretty name,” he complimented. “Pretty face too.”

“Um,” Kurt blushed, unsure how to respond as he looked around for Blaine. 

“Yeah, your boyfriend’s not bad either,” Sebastian approved. “I’ve heard about you.”

“I, um,” Kurt stammered and Sebastian smirked as he eyed him up and down.

“You and Blaine are legends at Dalton Academy,” Sebastian claimed. “Why’d you leave? Oh, let me guess… those eyes, that face, your ass in those skin-tight jeans… you must have broken too many hearts to stay.”

“I didn’t… it wasn’t… that’s not…” Kurt failed to string a complete sentence together. 

“So what’s the deal with you and Blaine?” Sebastian asked.

“I’m faithful to him,” Kurt answered finally able to say something coherent. 

“Faithful to him,” Sebastian echoed placing his hand over his heart. “How cute,” he remarked sarcastically. “Let me guess, you believe in soul mates. Probably hoping your names will appear on each other’s skin one day. I’ll bet you’re even the type who’s saving his virginity for his soul mate.”

“Does that mean you’re the type who whores himself out for anyone?” Kurt asked with a snap and Sebastian smirked.

“Not just anyone,” Sebastian replied. “They have to be pretty.”

“I feel truly sorry for whoever is unfortunate enough to have their name appear on your skin,” Kurt commented. Instantly, he regretted his words. There was no wince or bristle from Sebastian. No look of hurt pride, anger or upset. No roll of the eyes or snort of derision. It was the complete lack of any kind of reaction that made Kurt think he’d taken a step too far. “That was… that was too harsh,” Kurt said casting his eyes to the ground. “I don’t even know you. I had no right to say something like that. I’m sorry.”

“Yes, I imagine you are,” Sebastian said. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll think I’ll go and talk to your boy right now. I wonder how faithful he is,” he winked before sauntering up to Blaine who was soon laughing at something Sebastian whispered into his ear and Kurt clenched his hands into fists as his blood boiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To Be Continued...
> 
> Please Review
> 
> Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xox


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Somehow, to Kurt’s intense displeasure, Blaine and Sebastian became friends. They were always texting one another and meeting up for coffee and it was driving Kurt mad with jealousy. Any time Blaine brought Sebastian up in conversation (which was far too often) Kurt had to bite his tongue to keep from lashing out at his boyfriend. He also found himself caressing his left hip on a regular basis, trying to reassure himself that Blaine was his. Oh how he just wished his own name would appear on Blaine’s skin so he would know they were soul mates. Then perhaps Sebastian Smythe would simply go away and leave them alone. 

XXX

It was a Saturday and Kurt had spent two and a half hours picking out his outfit for his cinema date with Blaine only to discover Sebastian Smythe was joining them. He was not impressed and he made his feelings known.

“What’s he doing here?” Kurt asked Blaine with a sigh as he cast an amused Sebastian a look of disgust. 

“Kurt, don’t be rude,” Blaine said reproachfully shooting Sebastian a look of apology. 

“I thought this was supposed to be a date,” Kurt complained and Blaine at least had the decency to look guilty. Sebastian however only looked more entertained. 

“I know,” Blaine sighed leaning on his tip-toes to press a kiss to Kurt’s forehead. “But Sebastian really wanted to see this movie too so I figured it made sense for us to all see it together. I really didn’t think you’d mind. I’ll make it up to you later, baby, I promise.”

“Very well Mr. Anderson,” Kurt nodded. “Be prepared to take grovelling to a whole new level later on.”

“Anything for you,” Blaine smiled. “I’ll go get our tickets, you two try to play nicely.”

“I’ll play nice if you will,” Sebastian said to Kurt with a teasing tone.

“This third wheel act of yours is starting to bore,” Kurt snapped at him. “Is your life really so pitiful you have to ruin my dates with Blaine all the time?”

“Oh please,” Sebastian scoffed. “Your precious dates would be so dull without me to liven things up. If I wasn’t around the most you and Blaine would do is hold hands and kiss each other on the cheek. But my presence encourages you to get a little… ooh, possessive,” Sebastian smirked. “You were practically humping Blaine’s leg on our Crazy Golf date last weekend.”

“Our Crazy Golf date,” Kurt spluttered. “There is no ‘our’ thank you very much. That was mine and Blaine’s Crazy Golf date that you crashed in on. Just like you did on our Mall date, our coffee dates, our dinner date at Breadstix and our Spa Day treatment date. You even invited yourself to join us for dinner with my parents last Tuesday.”

“I was simply returning a book I borrowed,” Sebastian stated with false innocence. “Is it my fault your step-mother took a shine to me and invited me to stay?”

“Yes, yes it is your fault,” Kurt accused. “You have no right to behave so sickeningly charming in front of Carole and tricking her into believing you’re a respectable young gentlemen when you are anything but.”

“Even your dad liked me,” Sebastian grinned.

“And he is wrong to do so,” Kurt retorted. “Just stay away from me and Blaine. We’re happy together. Why can’t you respect that?”

Before Sebastian could retaliate, Blaine returned handing a ticket to each of them. 

“Should we get pop-corn?” Blaine asked hopefully.

“Sure,” Kurt agreed leading the way to the confectionary stand. “Maybe if we’re lucky Sebastian will choke on some,” he muttered under his breath. 

Carrying their pop-corn and drinks, the three boys made their way through the cinema and found their seats. As the first trailer started to play, Blaine excused himself to use the restroom before the movie started. Sebastian decided to take the opportunity to move seats meaning he was now beside Kurt. He shifted in his seat so he was practically sitting sideways to face the McKinley student. Keeping his eyes fixed on the cinema screen, Kurt did his best to ignore the Dalton boy.

As the second trailer began to play, the continued staring became too annoying for Kurt to ignore. He snapped his head round to glare at Sebastian. 

“Just what is your problem?” Kurt huffed. 

Smirking, Sebastian placed an arm around Kurt’s shoulders and leaned in, his lips grazing Kurt’s ear as he whispered to him.

“You picked a killer outfit by the way,” Sebastian let his breath tickle Kurt’s ear a moment longer before pulling away and returning to his original seat just before Blaine returned from the bathroom. 

Later that night, as Kurt was readying himself for bed, it occurred to him that Blaine hadn’t complimented the outfit he’d spent so long picking out but Sebastian Smythe had. 

“I hate him,” Kurt thought out loud.

XXX

After school, Sebastian made his way to the Lima Bean where he had arranged to meet Blaine. He was first to arrive and he queued up to make his usual order before finding a table. While he waited, he pulled out the book they were currently studying in English Literature and flipped through the pages as he made a few notes about certain sections he wanted to concentrate on for their next essay assignment. 

Seeing Blaine enter, Sebastian quickly scribbled down a few more notes and a page number to return to before putting his books away. As Blaine made his way over with his own cup of coffee in hand, Sebastian forced a smile and kept quiet about his disappointment that Kurt hadn’t joined them.

Luckily, Blaine liked to talk about Kurt and once he started he didn’t seem to stop. Sebastian smiled and laughed at the appropriate moments as well as encouraging Blaine to elaborate further with some things. He felt like he could listen to Blaine talk about Kurt for hours. There was just something about Kurt Hummel that Sebastian couldn’t get enough of. Unfortunately, one Kurt Hummel didn’t seem to share such feelings so listening to Blaine talk about all things Kurt would have to do as an alternative. 

XXX

Saturday evening, Kurt and Blaine met up with Santana and Brittany outside the bowling alley for a double date. At least, it was supposed to be a double date but once again Sebastian Smythe seemed to think his company was appreciated. 

“Blaine,” Kurt grimaced through clenched teeth as Sebastian stepped out of his parked car and sauntered over to join them. “You have got to be kidding me. This is supposed to be a double date, why did you invite him?”

“I’m sorry,” Blaine apologised looking up at Kurt with puppy-dog eyes. “We were texting earlier and he asked what I was up to tonight. I mentioned we were going bowling and he said he loves to bowl which made it impossible not to ask him along. Just try to be nice to him, Kurt; he doesn’t really have many friends.”

“Can’t imagine why not,” Kurt remarked sarcastically. 

“Seriously Blaine,” Santana decided to speak up. “You invited another boy along to a double date?”

“That is so not cool,” Brittany commented.

“Just forget about it,” Kurt sighed. “He’s here now,” he mumbled as Sebastian reached them.

Annoyingly, Sebastian was really good at bowling while Kurt was very bad. Sebastian was playing a perfect game, getting a strike every single time and he did it all so effortlessly. Blaine and Brittany took it upon themselves to be Sebastian’s personal Cheerleading squad and it was clear that the Dalton boy was enjoying the attention. 

“Urgh, I hate him,” Kurt muttered under his breath as Sebastian improvised a victory dance with Brittany and Blaine.

“Hey, Hummel,” Santana moved to sit beside him. “Is everything ok with you and the hobbit?”

“I thought it was,” Kurt answered sourly. “Until the meerkat came along,” he glowered at Sebastian as the boy wrapped one arm around Brittany’s waist and the other around Blaine’s shoulders. 

“Just say the word and I can go all Lima Heights on his ass,” Santana offered. 

“Sebastian isn’t worth it,” Kurt decided. 

“Yeah, I figured you’d say that,” Santana rolled her eyes. “But hey, it’s your turn next and I know you really suck at this game but just try and knock down more than one pin because it’s just getting embarrassing.”

“Thank you for your comforting words of support, Santana,” Kurt said dryly before standing up and slipping his fingers into the bowling ball. 

“You can do it, Kurt!” Brittany called encouragingly as she watched with the others. 

If by ‘it’ Brittany meant throw the ball down the gutter and not knock a single pin down then yes, Kurt could do it. He’d been doing it all night in fact. 

“Damn it, Hummel,” Santana groaned in embarrassment as he came to pick up another ball for his second go of the round. “Just knock something down already.”

“I’m trying,” Kurt claimed through gritted teeth. 

“Don’t worry, Kurt,” Blaine smiled. “It’s about the fun, not winning.”

“Come on, Kurt,” Sebastian clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll give you some pointers.”

“I don’t want any pointers,” Kurt complained. 

“Oh stop being so proud and accept my help,” Sebastian replied as he placed his hands on different parts of Kurt’s body and instructed him how to stand. 

As much as he wanted to ignore Sebastian, Kurt found himself listening to the other teen’s advice. He bowled his ball down the alley and succeeded in knocking down seven of the ten pins. In his excitement, he jumped up and down as he applauded himself before finding himself hugging Sebastian Smythe, unsure as to who had initiated the hug. He pulled away from the hug very quickly and rushed to embrace Blaine instead; making sure Sebastian was watching when he kissed his boyfriend firmly on the mouth.

“Well done, Kurt,” Brittany congratulated as she stood to take her turn.

After the game had finished, the five teenagers headed out into the parking lot together. 

“Tonight was fun,” Brittany stated with a smile. “At first I thought it would be really awkward because of how mad Kurt’s been lately that Blaine invites Sebastian on all his dates but I think Sebastian’s a lot of fun. Maybe you could crash my date with Santana sometime?”

“Don’t even think about it,” Santana threatened Sebastian before taking Kurt’s arm and pulling him away from the others claiming they needed to talk alone. “Ok,” Santana said once they were out of earshot. “That Dalton boy is trouble.”

“I know,” Kurt sighed. “He’s obviously trying to take Blaine away from me but I am not going to let that happen. Nobody pushes the Hummel’s around. And Blaine is mine,” he added placing his hand over his left hip. “Even if he doesn’t realise it yet.”

“Whoa, hold up,” Santana looked at Kurt seriously, noting how possessively he seemed to caress his left hip. “Is Blaine your soul mate?”

Kurt released a long sigh before nodding. He hadn’t told anybody other than his dad that the name Blaine Anderson had appeared on his skin back when he was thirteen.

“He doesn’t know does he?” Santana guessed looking across the parking lot where Blaine and Brittany were talking animatedly as Sebastian stood by glancing back to where Santana stood with Kurt.

“Only my dad knows,” Kurt replied quietly. “I’ve had Blaine’s name on me since my thirteenth birthday but I didn’t tell my dad until I told him I was gay. But my name hasn’t appeared on Blaine yet so he can’t know about this. Promise me, Santana, promise you won’t tell anyone?”

“Yeah, sure, it’s cool, you can trust me,” Santana told him. “But you’ve still got a problem with this Sebastian guy.”

“I trust Blaine,” Kurt insisted. “He only sees Sebastian as a friend. He’d never cheat on me. Sebastian can try all he wants to come between us but it won’t work. We’re soul mates. One day, my name will appear on Blaine’s body and then Sebastian can go to hell and everything will be perfect. Sebastian Smythe can crash as many dates as he wants but he still can’t have Blaine Anderson.”

“Hummel, listen to your Auntie Tana for a second,” Santana instructed. “So Blaine’s your soul mate and that’s all nice and everything or whatever… but you’ve got Sebastian all wrong. He isn’t trying to take Blaine away from you.”

“Of course he is,” Kurt retorted. “Have you seen the way that arrogant meerkat looks at my boyfriend?”

“Have you?” Santana responded arching an eyebrow and setting her hands on her hips. “Look over there, Hummel,” she gestured towards Brittany, Blaine and Sebastian. “You see that, he isn’t even looking at Blaine. He’s looking over here at us. More specifically, he’s looking at you. And when we were bowling, his eyes were glued to your ass every time you took your go but he didn’t stop to perve over Blaine’s backside. His eyes have been on you all night.”

“What… what do you mean?” Kurt asked.

“I mean,” Santana huffed impatiently. “Sebastian isn’t trying to take your soul mate away from you. He’s not interested in little hobbit Blaine. He’s only hanging out with Blaine to try and get closer to you. You’re the one he wants, Hummel.”

“No, you’re wrong,” Kurt denied immediately and Santana rolled her eyes.

“I’m never wrong about these things,” Santana responded before walking back to Brittany and leading her soul mate to her car to drive home. 

“She’s wrong,” Kurt said to himself before walking over to Blaine and eyeing Sebastian warily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To Be Continued...
> 
> Thanks for reading.
> 
> Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xox


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello dear readers
> 
> Thanks for reading and commenting and all the kudos, keep it coming by all means
> 
> On to the next chapter...

Chapter 3

Despite the fact Kurt had insisted that Santana was wrong and that Sebastian couldn’t possibly be interested in him because he was trying to steal Blaine away… Kurt couldn’t help but wonder. He became more attentive when Sebastian was around and the boy never seemed to sit too close to Blaine, or keep his gaze on him for too long, or make any lingering touches or inappropriate or flirty comments. In fact, he always tried to sit next to Kurt and their knees would bump together, or their arms would brush. Any time Sebastian turned up at the Lima Bean and handed Kurt a cup of coffee his fingers always brushed over his. And how did Sebastian learn Kurt’s coffee order anyway?

“Kurt Hummel, fancy seeing you here,” Sebastian commented from where he stood at the kitchen counter chopping up vegetables and wearing Carole’s frilly pink apron. 

“What are you talking about?” Kurt spluttered as he fully entered the kitchen to find Sebastian Smythe preparing dinner. “This is my house and unlike you I live here.”

“Dinner should be ready in thirty minutes,” Sebastian smiled at him. “Can I fix you a drink, sweetheart?”

“I am not playing housewife with you Sebastian,” Kurt replied in an appalled tone before backing out of the kitchen. “Hey,” he entered the living-room to find his dad, step-brother and boyfriend watching a Football game on the television. 

“Oh Kurt, you’re home,” Burt greeted. “Be a good kid and grab your old man another beer.”

“Would somebody care to enlighten me as to what the hell is going on here?” Kurt asked.

“Kurt, it’s the big game,” Finn pointed at the T.V as though it were obvious. 

“That’s not what I meant,” Kurt rolled his eyes. 

“Hey Kurt, how about that cold beer, buddy?” Burt asked never taking his eyes off the screen. 

“Blaine, I didn’t know you were coming over tonight,” Kurt stated trying to get his boyfriend’s attention off the Football game.

“Yeah, Finn invited me,” Blaine said distractedly still not looking at Kurt. “Oh come on, foul!” he yelled jumping to his feet in outrage, Finn and Burt behaving in a similar fashion.

“Seriously Kurt, I could really use that beer, kiddo,” Burt said once he was done shouting at the T.V screen.

“Is anybody going to tell me why Sebastian Smythe is currently cooking dinner in my kitchen?” Kurt asked impatiently. 

A point being scored by the opposing team prevented Kurt from receiving any kind of answer. Releasing a huff, he returned to the kitchen and glared at Sebastian as though it were all his fault and took a cold beer from the fridge for his dad.

“Enjoying the game, sweetie?” Sebastian asked with a wide smile, his eyes sparkling with amusement. 

“That apron makes you look ridiculous,” Kurt stated. “I trust you’re aware of that?”

“Well that’s quite rude,” Sebastian drawled. “Personally I think it makes me look quite pretty. Perhaps not Kurt Hummel pretty, but pretty in my own Sebastian Smythe way.”

Not knowing how to respond, Kurt turned on his heel and took the beer to his dad.

“Thanks Kurt,” Burt said, his eyes still fixed on the game. 

Somewhat awkwardly, Kurt perched on the arm of the sofa by Finn and watched the game. He tried to be interested but it just didn’t work for him. As the other three cheered and clapped he found himself returning to the kitchen to watch Sebastian Smythe cook dinner. The boy was singing to himself as he worked and he danced around the kitchen island before feeding a piece of raw carrot to Kurt.

“Sebastian, what are you doing?” Kurt asked.

“I’m making my own sauce,” Sebastian answered. “It’s a bit of an experiment but I’m sure it will go well with everything. Don’t worry, you and the boys will love it.”

“No, I mean what are you doing here in my house, in my kitchen, cooking dinner while wearing my step-mum’s apron?” Kurt queried. 

“Well I was just in the neighbourhood and thought I’d stop by to say a quick hello,” Sebastian explained. “Then Carole and I just got to talking and she invited me to stay for dinner. After I accepted she insisted she would have to run to the grocery store to pick up something for dessert. I told her it wasn’t necessary to have dessert on my behalf but she wouldn’t listen. So I offered to make a start on cooking dinner as a thank you. It was the least I could do.”

“Of course it was,” Kurt mumbled. “Next time you cook dinner do so in your own kitchen in your own house.”

The front door opened and closed and Carole’s voice could be heard calling out a ‘hello’. Within seconds, Sebastian was hurrying to the door to help Carole with the groceries and Kurt simply watched in mild horror as Sebastian and Carole moved around the kitchen together giggling like they were best friends. 

“I’m in Hell,” Kurt decided before heading up to his bedroom so he could avoid the fact that Sebastian Smythe was making his family dinner while his boyfriend ignored his existence in favour of a Football game. 

A short while later, Carole called up to him that dinner was ready and Kurt trudged down the stairs to the dining room. He sat down next to Blaine and Sebastian took the seat on Kurt’s other side. Somehow, Kurt found himself exchanging more words with Sebastian as Blaine was caught up in a sports debate with his dad and Finn. 

“Mmm,” Carole cast Sebastian a fond look as she finished her meal. “Delicious Sebastian, really delicious.”

“Yeah, good job, man,” Finn agreed and Burt and Blaine murmured their appreciation too.

Irritatingly, the food was splendid but Kurt was not prepared to admit that.

“Oh dear,” Carole frowned looking out the living-room window after they’d all had their dessert. “Looks like a nasty storm out there. I can’t let you boys head home in that,” she told Blaine and Sebastian. “Burt, honey, I think they’ll have to stay the night.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty rough,” Burt acknowledged the weather outside. “Call your parents and let them know. Blaine can stay in Finn’s room and Sebastian can stay with Kurt.”

“What?” Kurt asked. “That’s not fair.”

“It wasn’t up for discussion, Kurt,” Burt stated firmly. “You know the rules, no boyfriends sleeping in your room. It’s the same for Finn with girlfriends. Besides, Sebastian’s soul mate is a girl so I can sleep soundly knowing my boy isn’t doing things I don’t want him doing until he’s thirty.”

“But…” Kurt failed to complete a sentence to even attempt to argue his case. He simply stomped up to his bedroom processing the information that Sebastian’s soul mate was apparently a girl. He reasoned that he and Santana must have both been wrong. Sebastian wasn’t interested in Blaine or Kurt. He was clearly just a very weird individual who showed up at people’s houses to cook them dinner. “Come in,” he called hearing a knock on his bedroom door. 

“I don’t suppose you have any pyjamas you could lend me?” Sebastian asked.

“Sure, I’ll find you something,” Kurt responded. “So, um, your soul mate is a girl?”

“If you believe in that sort of thing,” Sebastian shrugged. 

“What’s her name? Have you met her?” Kurt asked genuinely interested. He always loved to hear the stories of how soul mates met.

“I’ll never meet her,” Sebastian replied. 

“What do you mean?” Kurt asked handing Sebastian a set of his plainer pyjamas. 

“She passed away long before I was even born,” Sebastian’s tone was carefully casual as he carelessly stripped and changed into the borrowed pyjamas.

“Oh,” Kurt gasped quickly turning his eyes away. “I’m so sorry,” he apologised. He felt a lump form in his throat upon catching a brief glimpse of a girl’s name marked on Sebastian’s chest. “I, um, did you want to talk about it?”

“No,” Sebastian answered quietly.

“Um, ok, sorry,” Kurt said awkwardly. “Really Sebastian, I had no idea that…”

“Kurt,” Sebastian interrupted and Kurt turned around, shocked to find the Dalton student standing so close to him. “Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t meant to be. You should get changed,” he suggested.

Nodding, Kurt gathered what he needed and slipped into his adjoining bathroom to work through his nightly skincare routine, brush his teeth and change into a set of black silk pyjamas that contrasted beautifully with his porcelain skin. Returning to his bedroom, he found that Sebastian had already crawled into his bed. 

“Um, we don’t have to share the bed,” Kurt pointed out. “I could get the spare blankets and things and one of us could sleep on the floor.”

“And by one of us you mean me?” Sebastian asked.

“Obviously,” Kurt nodded. “It’s my bed, I’m not sleeping on the floor.”

“Well I’m not either,” Sebastian answered. “Your bed is plenty big enough for two. Come on,” he indicated the space beside him. “I don’t bite. Unless you want me to,” he said huskily.

His words and tone were flirty. Kurt found that confusing given that Sebastian’s soul mate was a female. Perhaps Sebastian just flirted with everybody regardless of their gender and Kurt had never noticed because he’d been too busy not liking the boy. 

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Kurt turned the light off and then climbed under the covers. He stared up at the ceiling finding it weird to have another boy in the bed beside him.

“Goodnight Kurt,” Sebastian said softly.

“Night,” Kurt returned. It didn’t escape his notice that he was in bed saying goodnight to another boy while his boyfriend and soul mate had barely paid him any attention all evening and hadn’t exchanged a ‘goodnight’ with him. 

He struggled to find sleep and at some point during the night he found himself wrapped in Sebastian’s arms with his head resting on the boy’s chest listening to his heartbeat. It was strangely comfortable. He felt a small burning sensation in his left hip where he knew Blaine’s name to be. He supposed it was guilt for being in the arms of another boy. Kurt wondered if the name marked on Sebastian’s chest was giving him a similar guilt-induced burning sensation. 

“I’m sorry,” Kurt whispered in apology to the name on Sebastian’s chest, hoping the spirit of the girl was at peace. 

As Sebastian shifted in his sleep, his hand moved down to rest on Kurt’s hip over Blaine’s name. The burning sensation stopped and Kurt instead felt an odd swooping feeling in his belly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To Be Continued...
> 
> Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xox


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello dear readers, thanks for reading/commenting, welcome to chapter 4...

Chapter 4

Waking up in the morning, Kurt felt inexplicably comfortable. His head was still resting on Sebastian’s chest and the other boy still had a hand covering Blaine’s name on his left hip. Craning his neck to take a peek at Sebastian, he was relieved to find the boy still sleeping. He carefully untangled himself from Sebastian’s hold and slipped out of the bed doing his best not to disturb the other.

He stealthily made his way about the room and selected an outfit. He slipped into the bathroom and quietly went about his morning routine and made himself presentable. Returning to his bedroom, he found that Sebastian was now awake, sitting shirtless at the window with the name of his soul mate clearly visible on his chest.

Once again, Kurt found himself curious about the girl who was Sebastian Smythe’s soul mate but he knew it wasn’t his place to ask, especially given the tragic nature of Sebastian’s predicament. However, just because he wasn’t prepared to pry and ask Sebastian questions didn’t mean Kurt couldn’t think about it and wonder. 

It seemed odd to him that Sebastian’s soul mate was a girl in the first place. Sebastian just seemed like the kind of boy who liked other boys. He had been so sure that Sebastian was trying to steal Blaine away from him and Santana had been adamant that Sebastian was in fact interested in him rather than his boyfriend. But Sebastian’s soul mate was a girl and the evidence was right there on the boy’s chest. 

Kurt wondered what the girl was like. He imagined she must have been beautiful and he envisioned a smile like sunshine and sparkling eyes that could rival the stars. He thought the girl must have been smart and feisty with a sharp tongue. He imagined the girl sitting across from Sebastian in the Lima Bean, the pair exchanging witty and sardonic dialogue back and forth. 

As he watched Sebastian staring out his bedroom window, looking at the clouds above, Kurt wondered how Sebastian’s soul mate had lived her life. She had died before Sebastian was even born, that much Kurt knew. He wondered if she lived her entire life alone, always waiting to meet a man named Sebastian Smythe and never giving up hope that one day they would meet. Or did she find comfort with another and have a family? Did she think of Sebastian at all, wondering who he was and wishing him happiness even if it wasn’t with her? Was she lonely and incomplete without him? Did she ever sit at the bedroom window staring out at the sky just as Sebastian was doing at that very moment?

“Um, I’m heading downstairs now,” Kurt said still finding Sebastian’s presence in his bedroom to be a little awkward. “You can use the shower if you want.”

“Thanks,” Sebastian answered still staring out of the window and rubbing his hand across the name on his chest, causing Kurt to wonder if the boy had been thinking about the girl who was supposed to be his soul mate.

Arriving downstairs, Kurt discovered that he was the first one up. He headed to the kitchen and decided he may as well make breakfast for everybody. Turning the kitchen radio on, Kurt sang along to one of his favourite ever soul mate duets and got started on making pancakes. An old heart-breaking soul mate song started to play as Sebastian entered.

Wordlessly, Sebastian made himself useful and helped Kurt to make breakfast. They worked surprisingly well together, always seemingly knowing when the other needed this or that and where they should move to let each other get by. 

“Smells good boys,” Carole approved as she entered the kitchen in her fluffy slippers and dressing-gown.

“Thank you,” Kurt and Sebastian said in unison as they readied the table. “Morning dad,” Kurt greeted brightly as Burt joined them.

“Hey kiddo,” Burt grinned as he hugged Carole from behind. “Thanks buddy,” he said as Sebastian handed him a glass of fresh orange juice. “You boys sleep ok?”

“I slept great,” Kurt and Sebastian spoke at the same time again.

A short while later, Finn and Blaine joined them and Kurt felt guilty as he realised he’d forgotten that Blaine was even in the house. He served his boyfriend the first pancake as his way to make up for it. 

XXX

At the end of the month, a Warbler named Scott had met his soul mate. His fellow Warblers decided to celebrate. Through Sebastian, word of the party met Kurt and Blaine’s ears and so the New Directions ended up attending the party too. Stepping through the door with Mercedes on one arm and Blaine on the other, Kurt’s eyes were immediately drawn to the new soul mate couple. 

For his part, Scott looked happier than Kurt could ever remember seeing him and his soul mate looked more than delighted to be in his arms.

“Don’t they look perfect together,” Kurt gushed.

“They are really cute,” Mercedes agreed.

“I wonder how they met,” Kurt said.

“Let’s go find out,” Blaine suggested and they moved closer to Scott and the pretty red-head who was dancing with him.

XXX

An hour into the party, Blaine was a drunken mess but clearly having the time of his life with some of his old Warbler friends. For his part, Kurt had stayed sober and was struggling to tolerate anybody’s company for longer than a few minutes. Everybody seemed to be drunk and while some of their antics were mildly amusing, most of their behaviour was just annoying. Kurt supposed if he was drunk himself he’d find the party more entertaining.

After managing to break away from an overly giggly Tina and Mercedes, Kurt slipped outside to the front yard knowing that a number of people were getting up to all sorts of things in the back yard. As he stepped out onto the porch, he was startled to find another figure there having expected to be alone. 

“Sebastian,” Kurt sighed when he recognised the boy. “You scared me.”

“Sorry about that, sweetheart,” Sebastian apologised as he scooted over on the low brick wall he was perched on and indicated for Kurt to sit beside him. “Where’s your boyfriend?” he asked and Kurt wondered if he had just detected jealousy in the boy’s tone but he quickly dismissed it.

“He’s inside,” Kurt answered sitting beside Sebastian, their shoulders just brushing together. “Dancing with Brittany and Mike last I saw. Well, if you can call it dancing. Unfortunately Blaine isn’t the most dignified of creatures after alcohol consumption. So, how wasted are you?”

“Stone-cold sober,” Sebastian informed him. “I don’t remain particularly dignified after too much alcohol either,” he explained. “I’ve made a lot of bad decisions whenever I’ve got drunk at parties,” he admitted. “It’s much more sensible for me to stay sober if I don’t have somebody trustworthy to make sure I keep it in my pants.”

Kurt just nodded, unsure how to respond. Upon first meeting Sebastian he had just assumed the boy slept around a lot. He reasoned it to be because Sebastian lacked respect for soul mates. He never stopped to consider that drinking alcohol led to him making bad decisions. But then of course, he never really stopped to consider anything about Sebastian Smythe. He just saw him as a threat to his own relationship with Blaine. 

“So why aren’t you drinking?” Sebastian asked. “I can’t imagine for a second that you’re the type of boy who tries to fuck anyone who may be willing after a few shots of tequila. And I can’t imagine you dancing like an idiot like your boyfriend in there. You don’t strike me as the emotional crying drunk either.”

“No,” Kurt answered. “I would be the drunken boy who throws up over the Guidance Counsellor’s shoes. It really isn’t an experience I wish to repeat.”

“Shame,” Sebastian mused. “Vomit and ruined footwear aside I imagine you’d be quite charming while intoxicated.”

“Thanks, I think,” Kurt fought against a smile that was threatening to tug at his lips. “So, what brings you out here away from everybody else?”

“I’m not really one for socialising,” Sebastian answered. “In fact, I don’t really like people too much. Or maybe they just don’t like me.”

“They probably just don’t like you,” Kurt teased. “But who can blame them, you are awful.”

“I do try,” Sebastian deadpanned. “Yet, here you are Hummel, sat outside on a wall with me,” he smirked. “Maybe people don’t like you either?”

“Oh no, in this situation I’m definitely the one who doesn’t like them,” Kurt insisted. “They’re all drunk and that’s too irritating to put up with in my sober state. I at least got Scott to tell me how he met his soul mate before he’d drunk too much though so I’m happy about that. It was a nice story.”

“Yeah, if you’re into that sort of thing,” Sebastian shrugged. 

They sat on the wall in silence for a while before Kurt shivered from the cold. Wordlessly, Sebastian pulled his jacket off and draped it across Kurt’s shoulders.

“Oh, thanks,” Kurt said in surprise. “You didn’t have to.”

“No, but I wanted to,” Sebastian replied with a gentle smile.

“Do you have to be so nice to me?” Kurt asked. “It makes it more difficult to hate you when you behave like a gentleman.”

“Sorry, I’ll try to be more of an asshole in future,” Sebastian answered looking rather amused.

“That would be very considerate of you,” Kurt smiled back at him as he pulled the boy’s jacket tighter around himself and looked up at the sky. “I like the stars,” he declared after a few minutes of silence.

“Fascinating,” Sebastian drawled. “Do you have any other attempts at awkward small talk you would like to make?”

“Just that I like the stars,” Kurt responded. “They’re pretty.”

“They are,” Sebastian agreed and silence resumed between them.

As Kurt burrowed further into Sebastian’s jacket for warmth, he reasoned the other boy must be getting cold. Glancing at him from the corner of his eye, he noted that Sebastian’s nipples had hardened into peaks and were poking through the thin material of his shirt. He was too cold himself to offer the boy’s jacket back but he wasn’t prepared to head back inside just yet either.

The front door of the house burst open and the pair looked round to see Rachel stumble out drinking the last dregs of a wine cooler. 

“Soul mate’s suck,” the girl informed them pointing a finger at them seriously. “Am I right or am I right?” she asked.

“Oh Rachel, you don’t really mean that,” Kurt told her.

“Yes, I do,” she insisted stomping her foot for emphasis and then nearly falling over as a result. “Soul mate’s are just tragic and awful and… like who needs a soul mate anyway? I mean, what does a soul mate actually do? There’s just pain and sadness and that leads to anger and sadness. And then pain and sadness leads to anger and sadness leads to more pain and then there’s anger and did I say sadness? I meant to say sadness. There’s a lot of sadness. And also anger.”

She decided to stand on the low wall that the two boys were seated on. Not trusting the girl’s balance in her drunken state, both Kurt and Sebastian immediately stood and each put an arm around her and helped her down. She complained about them being too protective and tried to climb on the wall again.

“Rachel, you’re going to fall,” Kurt warned her as he picked her up bridal style and set her down safely. 

“I don’t care,” she replied. “I just want to walk on the wall. It’s fun.”

“No Rachel,” Kurt objected when she tried to climb on the wall again.

“But Kurt!” she whined. “I’m sad,” she pouted at him. “There’s pain and sadness and that leads to anger and sadness,” she frowned. “Did I say that already?”

“Once or twice,” Sebastian answered. “Come on, if walking on the wall will cheer you up, let’s do it.”

“Sebastian, it’s not safe,” Kurt stated.

“Relax, I won’t let her fall,” Sebastian promised taking the girl’s hand and helping her step onto the wall. He kept a hold on her hand and a protective arm around her waist as she walked the length of the wall and then turned to walk back again. 

“That was fun,” Rachel giggled before jumping down from the wall. Kurt winced in concern but she was completely unscathed. She looped her arm through Sebastian’s and pulled him to sit on the wall with her. “If you were my soul mate would you like me?” she asked Sebastian.

“Sure,” Sebastian answered sharing a confused look with Kurt.

“You’re a terrible liar,” Rachel laughed resting her head on his shoulder. “But it’s sweet. Nice lies, you know?”

“Right, nice lies, yeah,” Sebastian agreed.

“It was supposed to be Finn you know,” she told Sebastian. “Everybody thought so. We sang all the best soul mate duets together. I made us ‘His and Hers’ calendars and people called us ‘Finchel’. It all seemed so perfect. Have you ever felt that way?”

“I can’t say that I have,” Sebastian answered.

“Good,” Rachel nodded. “It’s better that way. Soul mates are just disappointing so it’s better to not… to not… just to not. Fuck soul mates,” she swore and Kurt’s eyes widened in shock while Sebastian just smirked.

“Rachel, you shouldn’t say that,” Kurt told her. “You used to think soul mates were beautiful and romantic.”

“I was wrong,” Rachel decided. “And you’re wrong, Kurt. The whole world is wrong. Fuck soul mates. Fuck Lucy.”

“Who’s Lucy?” Sebastian asked.

By way of an answer, Rachel draped herself across Sebastian’s lap and half pulled her sweater off.

“Lucy ‘Quinn’ Fabray,” Sebastian said out loud reading the name marked on the girl’s lower back.

“What?” Kurt asked in shock having to read the name himself in order to believe it. “Rachel, I… I had no idea.”

“Neither does she,” Rachel laughed. “She’s in for a shock when she finds out right?” she started laughing uncontrollably. 

“Alright,” Sebastian heaved the girl back into a sitting position and helped her put her sweater back on. “Maybe we should get you home?” 

“No, I want to go back to the party,” she stood up and walked three steps before throwing up in the bush. “Urgh, maybe I should go home,” she relented. 

“Come on, I’ve got you,” Sebastian helped her to stand.

“You’re so sweet,” Rachel gazed up at him. “I don’t know why Kurt says such horrible things about you. Maybe I shouldn’t be his friend anymore? I could be your friend instead. You’re like me and Noah. You think soul mates suck too right? We could start up our own ‘Soul Mates Suck Alliance’.”

“Sounds great,” Sebastian said. “But let’s just focus on getting you home safely first. Are you coming, sweetheart?”

“Oh, I should stay and check on Blaine,” Kurt excused. “He’s probably wondering where I am.”

“No he’s not,” Rachel stated honestly in her drunken stupor. “Before I came outside he was making-out with that Thad guy in a game of ‘Spin the Bottle’. I don’t think he even remembers that you even came to the party.”

“Drunk-Rachel has no sensitivity I see,” Sebastian remarked and the girl laughed in response as she locked her arms around his waist claiming he smelled ‘comforting’.

“It isn’t her fault,” Kurt defended. “Even sober Rachel doesn’t have much of a filter. And I know she’s not saying it to be mean.”

“Are you ok though?” Sebastian asked.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Kurt shrugged. “So what if my boyfriend makes out with another boy? It’s only a silly party game. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“Did you want to stay and find Blaine or do you want to come with us?” Sebastian asked as he kept a supportive arm around Rachel so she didn’t fall over.

“He’s amongst friends,” Kurt pointed out. “He’ll be fine if I leave right?”

“Come on, just come with us,” Sebastian said making the decision for him. “My car’s just down the street.”

As the three teens walked down the road, Rachel continued to babble on about how she hated soul mates. Knowing that Quinn was Rachel’s soul mate, Kurt could only feel sympathy. He had of course heard Quinn say countless hurtful things to Rachel. Many times he’d even laughed at the blonde’s catty insults. Now he just felt bad and vowed that he would never laugh at anything mean Quinn Fabray said about Rachel Berry ever again. 

They reached Sebastian’s car and Kurt climbed into the backseat with Rachel. The girl dropped her head in his lap and he stroked her hair soothingly as she continued to bitterly mumble about soul mates. Once Sebastian was in the driver’s seat, Kurt gave him the address to the Berry household and they drove Rachel home. The Berry men seemed rather concerned with their daughter being in such a state but they could tell Kurt and Sebastian were both sober and thanked them for their responsibility and getting her safely home. 

This time, Kurt sat in the passenger side of the car as Sebastian drove him home. It was still relatively early, not even eleven o’clock yet, so Burt and Carole were still up. 

“Thanks for driving me home,” Kurt said. 

“You’re welcome,” Sebastian replied. 

“And it was really good of you to get Rachel home safely,” Kurt added. “Most people probably wouldn’t have bothered. Um, you could come in if you like,” he offered. “Get a hot drink maybe? We were sat out on that cold wall for a long time.”

“Will your parents mind?” Sebastian asked.

“My dad and Carole love you,” Kurt pointed out. “For reasons which remain a mystery to me but they do. Somehow you managed to charm them both. It’s actually quite creepy. So much so that I’m not convinced I want you in my house for a hot beverage after all.”

“Well in that case I would love to come in for a hot chocolate or a cup of cocoa,” Sebastian smirked and Kurt bit his lower lip to prevent a smile.

They climbed out of the car and Kurt led the way inside. Burt and Carole were curled up on the sofa together watching an old movie. 

“You’re home early,” Burt commented. “And you’ve somehow lost your brother, best friend and your boyfriend,” he noted given the fact that Kurt had left with Finn, Mercedes and Blaine. 

“Yeah, and I picked up a stray meerkat instead,” Kurt joked gesturing to Sebastian.

“I resent that,” Sebastian remarked.

“Where is Finn?” Carole asked sitting up a little.

“Still at the party,” Kurt answered. 

“So why are you two boys back?” Carole asked them. “You haven’t had a fight have you?”

“No, no fight,” Kurt reassured her.

“Rachel got a little sick at the party,” Sebastian explained. “Kurt and I took her home safely and Kurt was kind enough to invite me inside for a hot drink.”

“Oh lovely, I’m glad to see you two boys getting along,” Carole smiled.

“And good on you for taking Rachel home,” Burt approved. “You boys did the right thing. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks, dad,” Kurt said. “We’re just going to go through to the kitchen. Do you take sugar?” he asked Sebastian.

“No thanks, your company’s sweet enough,” Sebastian told him.

“I’ll pretend you didn’t say that,” Kurt laughed as he bustled about making them hot chocolate.

“Seriously,” Sebastian asked making sure to keep his voice down so Burt and Carole wouldn’t overhear from the living-room. “Are you ok about Blaine?”

“He only kissed somebody else because he was playing ‘Spin the Bottle’,” Kurt said. “It’s not a big deal right? Besides, Rachel was really drunk tonight. She could have been wrong. It might not have been Blaine. There might not have even been a game of ‘Spin the Bottle’ at all. Right?”

“Right,” Sebastian answered curling his fingers around his mug. “Earlier tonight,” Sebastian said changing the subject. “You said you liked the stars.”

“They’re pretty,” Kurt replied simply.

“So let’s sit outside for a little while and look at them,” Sebastian suggested.

“Alright, I’ll just grab a blanket,” Kurt agreed.

They sat on the bench in the backyard, a blanket wrapped around them both as they held their mugs of hot chocolate in their hands. 

“What is it you like about the stars?” Sebastian asked.

“Are you sure you care to know?” Kurt enquired.

“Well I imagine its something sickeningly romantic,” Sebastian drawled. “I’ll probably have to throw up all over you immediately once you tell me. But… tell me anyway.”

“I just like how they sparkle,” Kurt answered. “They’re pretty. It doesn’t really go any deeper than that. I just think they look nice and that a sky full of stars is beautifully romantic.”

“Alright,” Sebastian drank a gulp of his hot chocolate and angled his body towards Kurt. “But do you think a sky full of stars is romantic because you, Kurt Hummel, truly think it’s romantic. Or do you just think it’s romantic because half the classic soul mate love songs out there tell you the stars are romantic?”

“Perhaps my opinion is influenced by love songs,” Kurt admitted. “But that doesn’t mean the stars aren’t romantic. I could have a night looking up at the stars and it could genuinely be beautiful and romantic.”

“If you say so,” Sebastian responded. “Do you look at the stars much with Blaine?”

“Well… no,” Kurt realised. “But we have plenty of time for all that.”

“Even when he goes around kissing other boys?” Sebastian asked.

“Low-blow, Sebastian,” Kurt winced.

“Right, that must have been asshole-Sebastian coming out to play,” the boy said and Kurt supposed that was the closest he would get to an apology. “So, does looking up at the stars with me count as romantic?”

“Absolutely not,” Kurt scoffed.

“Rude,” Sebastian drawled. “Here I am, curled up in a blanket with you, drinking hot chocolate and looking at the stars. This is easily the most romantic thing I have ever done and you don’t even think it counts. You wound me, Kurt,” he teased.

“Well, I suppose the situation itself is romantic,” Kurt relented. “But the company leaves a little to be desired,” he grinned as he drank from his mug.

“Would you care to know what I think of the stars?” Sebastian asked.

“Enchant me,” Kurt challenged finishing his hot chocolate and carefully setting the cup aside.

“Very well,” Sebastian accepted draping an arm around Kurt’s shoulders and looking up at the night sky. “The stars look beautiful, this is indisputably true, but there is deep sadness to them also. You see, the very first pair of soul mates were a tragic couple. They were an Angel and a Demon. The Angel of course resided in Heaven while the Demon served out his eternal years in Hell. But they could always feel one another’s presence. Inevitably, their names appeared on one another’s skin and they both instinctively knew that the names belonged to their soul mate, their one true love. They needed one another, yearned for each other. They were incomplete beings and neither was truly happy. So the Angel begged God for help and God patiently explained that if the Angel chose to leave Heaven there would be no way to return. Desperate to find her soul mate, the Angel agreed and God took her wings and created a staircase of clouds for her to safely make her way to earth. Down below in Hell, the Demon knew his Angel was above, he could feel her in his thoughts, in his heart and in his soul. So he begged the Devil to let him join his Angel on earth. The Devil laughed at his request and told him ‘no’. But the Demon would not give up. The Devil is not a patient being and the Demon had an eternity to ask the same question of him day after day after day. So the Devil agreed that the Demon could be with his Angel for all of time. But the Devil is a cruel creature. He followed the Demon up onto the earth’s soil and lurked in the shadows as he found his Angel. He watched over them as they rejoiced upon finally meeting one another. Together, they were happy and in love, they were complete. The Devil allowed them just one day of happiness together. He claimed that losing a soul from the pits of Hell was an insult to his power and that if one soul left another had to return in its place. The Demon insisted he would not leave his Angel and vowed he would never return to Hell with the Devil. Smirking, the Devil agreed. Then he took the Angel and said that as they were soul mates, her soul would take the place of the Demon’s. And so he dragged the Angel down to Hell and ensured the Demon could never follow. Up in Heaven, God had witnessed it all. God could not save the Angel from her fate for she had already given up her wings and could not return to Heaven. And God had no power in the fires of Hell below. But for the sake of the fallen Angel, God could take mercy on the Demon and spared him the fate of living alone on earth for all eternity. So with the soul of the Demon, God fashioned the very first star and hung it in the sky. The Demon star would sometimes shine so bright that even the Angel trapped in Hell could see her lover’s sparkle. Seeing his star gave the Angel the strength she needed to survive in Hell. She would speak to the Demon star, even sing to him and she found a way to be happy even with the cruel fate she had received. Even the Devil himself couldn’t help but be moved. So he released the Angel and with her soul he fashioned the second ever star, allowing her to hang in the sky side-by-side with her Demon love forever more. From then on, both the truest and most painfully tragic of soul mate loves earn their place as a star in the sky. Some of the stars are the souls of perfect happy romances. Other stars are of the souls who were tragically fated to never meet their soul mate. Now they all sparkle above us, the Demon, the Angel, all of them,” Sebastian rubbed his hand over his chest.

Kurt discreetly wiped a tear from his eye as he gazed up at the dark blanket above. He didn’t know if Sebastian had read the Demon and Angel story somewhere, if it had been told to him by somebody else or if he’d simply made it up. But either way, the story moved Kurt. Seeing the other boy touching his chest where Kurt knew the name of Sebastian’s soul mate to be, he wondered which star Sebastian had allocated to her for he was sure the boy had. 

“So,” Sebastian asked, his arm still draped across Kurt’s shoulders, “whenever you do get round to a romantic night of gazing at the stars with Blaine… remember this night you shared with me. Can you promise me that?”

“I’ll remember,” Kurt whispered. And he meant it. He was sure that his future with Blaine, his soul mate, had many nights ahead. But no matter how memorable or forgettable those countless future nights would be Kurt knew he would forever remember this night with Sebastian. 

“Well, it really is getting late,” Sebastian noted. “I should be heading home.”

“My dad and Carole won’t like you heading home alone at this time,” Kurt said. “You should stay the night. They’ll insist on it, I’m sure.”

True enough, Burt and Carole were adamant that Sebastian should stay. So once again, Kurt was lending Sebastian Smythe pyjamas and sharing a bed with him. The mark of Blaine’s name on his left hip burned lightly but the discomfort faded as soon as Sebastian’s fingers dropped to rest over the mark.

Just because Sebastian left his jacket behind the following morning and Kurt wore it around the entire day despite the fact even Finn could tell it didn’t match the rest of his outfit didn’t necessarily have to mean anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To Be Continued...
> 
> Love and Hugs IQR xox


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody, thanks for reading/commenting. Hope you enjoy the next chapter...

Chapter 5

Glee Club the following Monday was a rather awkward affair. Even Mr. Schuester had picked up on the tension and seemed relieved to be dragged out into the corridor by Coach Sylvester so she could insult his hair.

“Ok,” Santana stood up calling attention to herself and deciding to take matters into her own hands. “Let me be the one to address the big cheating gay elephant in the room.”

“She means you Blaine,” Brittany informed the boy.

“Santana, just leave it,” Kurt sighed.

“To quote Mercedes, ‘oh hell to the no’,” Santana retorted. “We were all there at that party and I personally had an up close view of that weird little Warbler boy dribbling into Blaine’s mouth. It was disgusting.”

“So disgusting,” Brittany added in agreement. 

“And maybe it’s none of my business,” Santana continued.

“It’s really not your business,” Blaine interjected.

“But personally,” Santana carried on as though there had been no interruption. “I think it’s really crappy of Little Hobbit Blaine to go to a party with Lady Hummel and suck face with a couple of other guys and some girls too.”

“Girls?” Kurt repeated not having been aware of that fact, or indeed that Blaine had kissed anyone other than Thad.

“We were playing ‘Spin the Bottle’, it didn’t mean anything,” Blaine excused. “And you can’t honestly stand there and tell me you’ve never played ‘Spin the Bottle’ before,” he told Santana.

“I’m pretty sure I invented ‘Spin the Bottle’,” Santana claimed. “But I’ve only ever played that game single. I’ve never played it when I’ve been dating anybody and I definitely wouldn’t play it now that I’m with Brittany. And what, you were just gonna skip around here showing off your ankles and holding Kurt’s hand like nothing even happened?”

“Whoa, let’s not gang up on Blaine here,” Mike defended. “He had a bit too much to drink, played a silly game and had a few meaningless kisses. Worse things have happened.”

“Yeah, like Kurt leaving the party with another boy,” Quinn gossiped. 

“Wait, what?” Blaine asked casting a betrayed expression in Kurt’s direction. “You went home with another boy? Is that why I couldn’t find you all night?”

“It wasn’t like that,” Kurt tried to say but Santana was quick to interject.

“You don’t have to explain yourself to him, Hummel,” Santana said. “He’s the one who was sucking face with other people all night, not you.”

“Santana, please, just drop it,” Kurt asked her. “I know you’re trying to help and I appreciate it but you’re just making the situation worse and now everybody’s tense and awkward.”

“I’m not awkward, I find this shit hilarious,” Puck offered. 

“Thanks, Puckerman,” Kurt responded sardonically.

“Anytime, man,” Puck nodded and Kurt rolled his eyes.

“Who did you go home with?” Blaine wanted to know still fixing Kurt with a hurt expression.

“He was taking me home,” Rachel spoke up. “I got a little sick so Kurt made sure I got home safely.”

“But… you said Kurt left the party with another boy?” Blaine looked to Quinn in confusion.

“Well… boy-hips, man-hands,” Quinn eyed Rachel critically, “easy mistake to make.”

“Shut it, Quinn,” Kurt snapped at the blonde.

“Ok,” Puck jumped onto the piano directing everybody’s attention towards him. Based on Kurt defending Rachel against Quinn rather than joining in the laughter, Puck assumed Kurt had learned that Quinn was Rachel’s soul mate. Rather than risk anybody getting suspicious or Quinn saying further hurtful things to Rachel, Puck decided to distract them. “Who wants to see me light my farts on fire?”

“Dude, that’s not even possible, yo,” Artie said.

“Hell yeah, it is,” Puck insisted.

“I totally saw him do it once,” Finn claimed as Puck shoved his jeans down to expose his rear.

“Yuck, Puckerman!” Tina complained shielding her eyes.

“Eww!” the girls and Mike screamed out when Puck let out a loud ‘test’ fart.

“Puck, pull your pants up and get off the piano!” Mr. Schue said sternly as he returned to the Choir Room. “We need to rehearse guys. Now come on, from the top.”

XXX

After Glee rehearsal was over, Kurt took his time gathering his things and Blaine moved deliberately slow too. Once they were alone together, Blaine stepped up to Kurt and took his hand in his.

“I think Glee got a little dramatic today,” Blaine remarked. 

“I guess so,” Kurt replied. “I’m sorry Santana called you out in front of everybody like that. It was awkward and unnecessary.”

“Let’s just forget about what happened in Glee today,” Blaine suggested. 

“What about the party?” Kurt asked. 

“What about it?” Blaine frowned.

“You kissed other people, Blaine,” Kurt pointed out. “I know you were drunk and I know it was just a stupid party game but you still kissed other people. That really hurts me.”

“Oh, Kurt, sweetie,” Blaine sighed pressing a firm kiss to the taller boy’s cheek. “I never meant to make you feel that way, I promise. It really was just a game, it didn’t mean anything. Besides, we’re only boyfriends Kurt. It’s not like I’ve cheated on my soul mate or anything,” he laughed and Kurt stiffened feeling like he’d been slapped. “Come on, we’d better hurry or we’ll be late for class,” he tugged on Kurt’s arm leading him out of the Choir Room. “And hey, let’s have a study date at the Lima Bean after school. Bye Kurt,” he kissed his mouth quickly before striding down the hall.

XXX

As requested, Kurt joined Blaine at the Lima Bean after school so they could enjoy a cup of coffee as they completed their homework. Between complicated division sums and paragraphs about Brutus and Caesar, Kurt couldn’t help but feel a bubble of disappointment that Sebastian Smythe didn’t show up to crash their date. 

XXX

The next time Kurt saw Sebastian was on a Saturday morning. He was supposed to be meeting Blaine at the Mall so they could go bow-tie shopping together but Kurt had been waiting nearly fifteen minutes for Blaine to arrive when he received a text saying he couldn’t make it. Kurt read over the text three times before deleting it and releasing a long sigh. It was after he slipped his phone back into his pocket and looked up that he spotted Sebastian. The Dalton student offered him a wave and Kurt found himself striding over to meet him.

“Sebastian Smythe,” Kurt greeted.

“Kurt Hummel,” Sebastian returned with a slight bow. 

“I haven’t seen you in a while,” Kurt commented.

“Aww, been missing me?” Sebastian teased. “That’s cute.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Kurt sneered though there was no real malice in his words. “So, what brings you to the Mall today?”

“I really needed some new school shoes,” Sebastian told him indicating the shopping bag in his hand. “Then I figured I’d just wander around and see if anything captured my interest when low and behold, the crowds part and Kurt Hummel appears, a vision in blue.”

“Cobalt,” Kurt corrected. 

“It’s all blue to me,” Sebastian shrugged making Kurt roll his eyes. “What about you, are you meeting someone?”

“No,” Kurt sighed dropping his gaze for a moment before standing tall with a strained smile. “I was supposed to be meeting up with Blaine but he cancelled last minute.”

“Well, his loss shall be my gain,” Sebastian said extending his arm to Kurt. “Let me take you to lunch, my treat.”

“Um…” Kurt hesitated looking at Sebastian’s offered arm. 

“It’s only lunch, Kurt, not a marriage proposal,” Sebastian teased. 

“Fine, you may treat me to lunch on this occasion,” Kurt agreed linking arms with the other boy. “But don’t get any silly ideas about us actually becoming real friends. I still dislike you intensely.”

“Of course you do, sweetheart,” Sebastian smirked. “Your hair looks really good today,” he complimented. 

“I suppose yours doesn’t look bad either,” Kurt replied trying to ignore the fact he couldn’t remember the last time Blaine had complimented his hair. 

XXX

Arriving home, Kurt was absentmindedly singing to himself as he danced around the kitchen making himself a drink. 

“You look happy,” Carole smiled at him. “Must have been a good date with Blaine,” she commented. “You have that extra little sparkle in your eye and a bounce in your step. Young love is such a beautiful thing.”

“Um, right,” Kurt said with an awkward laugh before taking a long gulp of his drink. 

He couldn’t deny that he was in a good mood. After the initial disappointment of Blaine cancelling their Mall date, Kurt had actually managed to have a lovely time in the company of Sebastian Smythe. It wasn’t anything special. They just had lunch and browsed the shops while making conversation. But Kurt had enjoyed himself with the other boy. So much so that his step-mother was commenting on how loved-up he was. 

“Kurt?” Carole asked looking him over carefully. “Are you ok, honey?”

“Of course,” Kurt offered her a smile. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

A few seconds later, a muddy Finn burst through the door with Blaine and Mike behind him, all three laughing about something. 

“Hey mum,” Finn grinned. “Is it ok if Mike and Blaine take a shower here?”

“Sure,” Carole responded grimacing at the muddy footprints that had already been formed on the kitchen tile. “And once you’re all done Finn I want all that mud cleaned up,” she told him sternly. 

“Well, we should probably go and get cleaned up,” Mike suggested.

“Yeah,” Blaine agreed. “Kurt, it’s alright if I use your shower and borrow some clothes right?”

“Yeah,” Kurt said weakly, his good mood disappearing as the three muddy boys left the kitchen. 

“Kurt, honey, is there something you want to tell me?” Carole asked fixing her step-son with a look of concern. 

“I’m fine,” Kurt shrugged. 

“Oh honey,” Carole sighed moving over to wrap an arm around his shoulders and drop a kiss to his temple. “I thought you were meeting Blaine at the Mall today.”

“So did I,” Kurt sighed. “But I was stood waiting for about fifteen minutes when he text me to say he couldn’t make it.”

“But you were in such a happy mood when you came home,” Carole stated. “I just assumed you’d had a good day with your boyfriend. I didn’t realise he’d gone out with Finn instead. Are you sure everything’s alright between you two?”

“Actually, I guess we’ve been a bit off lately,” Kurt admitted. “But we’ll work through it. Besides, we don’t need to be together all the time. It’s good to have time apart.”

“Hmm,” Carole responded giving him a comforting squeeze. 

“What does ‘hmm’ mean?” Kurt asked.

“It’s nothing, honey,” Carole assured him.

“Carole, please,” Kurt begged. “I need an honest opinion. What do you really think of me and Blaine?”

“It doesn’t matter what I think,” Carole evaded. “Your opinion is the one that counts.”

“Carole,” Kurt whined. “Just tell me… something… anything?”

“Blaine’s a nice young man,” Carole said. “And I think it is wonderful that he helped bring you out of your shell a bit more when you first met. He’s smart and polite. I like him, I do.”

“But?” Kurt wondered. 

“But… I’m not convinced he’s the right boy for you,” Carole admitted. “No matter what that mark on your hip says.”

Kurt covered the name on his hip self-consciously. He’d never confided in Carole that Blaine was his soul mate so he presumed his dad had told her. 

“He’s my soul mate, of course he’s right for me,” Kurt defended. “I mean, isn’t that the point?”

“You are entitled to believe what you want, sweetheart, and when it comes down to it only you can make your decisions,” Carole said. “All I know is that you came back from the Mall looking like a teenager in love. Then your soul mate walked in the room and you’ve had a frown on your face ever since. So, can I ask who you spent the day with to put you in such a good mood?”

“Just the girls,” Kurt lied. He was not at all convincing if the look on Carole’s face was anything to go by. “Um, Sebastian,” he confessed wondering how his step-mum would react but she seemed to have her Poker-Face on. “He was there buying new shoes and as Blaine didn’t show up it just made sense to hang out with him instead. But it didn’t mean anything. It was just lunch and then we just wandered around. No different to a Mall trip with Mercedes.”

“Ok, honey,” Carole smiled at him as she began the task of washing-up.

Wordlessly, Kurt picked up a tea-towel so he could dry the dishes and put them away. 

“By the way,” Carole said as she washed up Burt’s favoured coffee mug. “I honestly do like Blaine. But I absolutely adore Sebastian.”

XXX

Once Finn, Mike and Blaine had all showered, they made themselves comfortable in Finn’s bedroom to play some Xbox. 

“Hey, Kurt?” Finn called to his step-brother as he passed by the bedroom door.

“Can I help you boys?” Kurt asked poking his head in the door.

“You wanna play?” Finn offered.

“No, come on, this isn’t Kurt’s thing,” Blaine answered in his boyfriend’s stead. “It would be really great if you could get us some drinks and snacks though.”

“Sure, I’ll be right back,” Kurt replied shooting an oblivious Blaine an annoyed glare. Finn and Mike shared an awkward look as they picked up on the tension but chose not to comment. Heading down to the kitchen, Kurt arranged an array of snacks and prepared a drink for them all. It took a lot of self-control not to give in to the temptation to spit in Blaine’s drink.

“Thanks Kurt,” Mike said gratefully as the tray was presented to them. Presumably Finn expressed some kind of gratitude through his mouthful of food.

“That’s my boy,” Blaine smiled Kurt’s way affectionately but Kurt found it all rather patronising. 

Turning away, he slipped out his phone and made plans to meet up with Rachel. Suddenly, joining the girl’s ‘Soul Mates Suck Alliance’ didn’t seem like such a bad idea. 

XXX

Sitting on Rachel’s bed with Barbara Streisand playing in the background as he painted the girl’s nails, Kurt told her that Blaine was his soul mate.

“How long have you known?” Rachel asked.

“His name appeared when I was thirteen,” he told her. 

“May I see it?” she asked.

Carefully screwing the pot of nail polish shut so as not to spill it over the bed covers, Kurt kneeled up and lifted his shirt and pushed his jeans down a little to reveal the name on his left hip.

“Blaine Anderson,” Rachel read aloud in confirmation. 

“I was so happy the day I met him,” Kurt sighed. “He held out his hand and introduced himself. I’d been fantasising about meeting the boy for so long. And then finally there he was, stood right in front of me and looking more handsome than I could have imagined. Blaine Anderson, my soul mate.”

“But you’re not so happy now,” Rachel guessed. 

“Everything feels different,” Kurt shrugged. 

“Different can be good,” Rachel pointed out. “It doesn’t have to be bad.”

“Blaine’s my boyfriend, my soul mate,” Kurt claimed. “But lately our relationship feels… I don’t know. But it certainly doesn’t feel right. Maybe, maybe I’m over-thinking things. Maybe I only feel this way because my name hasn’t appeared on his body yet. Maybe it will only start to feel right when he finds out that I’m his soul mate. Do… do you ever think that about you and Quinn?”

“I think the spirits of former Broadway stars are punishing me out of envy of my talent by making Quinn Fabray my soul mate,” Rachel told him. 

“So, you don’t think there’s any chance at all that you and Quinn could ever fall in love and make each other happy?” Kurt asked.

“When my name appears on Quinn’s skin she’ll probably try and kill me with her bare hands,” Rachel stated. “Blaine may be taking you for granted right now and your relationship might be a little rocky but at least you know that he likes you. He won’t freak out when your name appears on his skin. He’ll be happy. Having your boyfriend or girlfriend’s name appear on your skin is the type of thing people dream of. We all hope for that but not many of us are lucky enough to get it. I wanted Finn but instead I got Quinn,” she rolled her eyes. “But if you want my advice about you and Blaine… I say just sing more duets together in Glee Club. Your voices blend well together and performing will create a greater level of intimacy between you two.”

“Yeah, yeah we should sing together more,” Kurt agreed. “That will get us back on track.”

“You could even just tell him he’s your soul mate,” Rachel suggested. 

“No, no,” Kurt shook his head. “I’ve thought about it before but I don’t want to do it that way. I want him to discover it the natural way. I want him to wake up one morning with my name on his skin. Maybe it will happen soon.”

“Maybe,” Rachel replied. “But in the mean time, let’s set up my karaoke machine and sing together.”

“Miss Berry, I’d be honoured,” Kurt declared.

“As would I, Mr. Hummel,” Rachel beamed. “No soul mate songs,” she said.


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... this chapter is short... sorry about that...

Chapter 6

Singing more duets with Blaine was a good suggestion Rachel had made. However, it didn’t work out quite the way Kurt had hoped. At first, Blaine had seemed eager and excited to perform a duet with his boyfriend. But then there had been disagreements over song choice, costumes and music arrangements. Then somehow, Kurt and Blaine singing a duet together turned into Blaine performing a solo while Kurt quietly seethed in his seat on the back row.

Still, determined to be a good boyfriend and get his relationship back on track, Kurt made another attempt for them to rehearse a duet together. This time, he bit his tongue and held back on his own creative ideas and allowed Blaine free reign of song choice and choreography. 

Somehow, the performance ended up with Blaine being in the spotlight while Kurt swayed in the background with the occasional ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’. 

“Blaine is very talented,” Rachel commented after the performance in Glee Club.

“He certainly is,” Kurt agreed trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. 

“He doesn’t seem to understand the concept of a duet though,” Rachel pointed out. “Now, I love being in the spotlight and I would selfishly do many bad things to ensure I get the solos that I want but even I manage to perform duets as actual duets. And you’re very talented too, Kurt, much too talented to be standing in the background.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Kurt shrugged. “Singing duets with Blaine clearly isn’t the way to reignite the spark in our relationship. I’ll have to do something else. We should try and have more date nights together and schedule more make-out sessions.”

XXX

So Kurt took Blaine on a date. They went to Breadstix, just the two of them. They sat across from one another and Kurt made to hold Blaine’s hand across the table but Blaine insisted on them holding hands underneath the table instead. It bothered Kurt but he forced himself to ignore it and just enjoy the fact that he was spending quality time with his soul mate. 

“Hey, did you hear that rumour that Rachel’s soul mate is a girl?” Blaine gossiped.

“No, I didn’t,” Kurt said. “And I’m sure it is nothing but a rumour,” he added quickly hoping to protect Rachel’s secret. “Where did you hear such a ridiculous comment?”

“Quinn was telling some Hockey players,” Blaine shrugged and Kurt made sure to keep his face impassive. “I’m pretty sure it will be on Jacob Ben-Israel’s blog by now. Apparently Quinn saw the name on Rachel in the locker room.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Kurt stated. If Quinn really had seen the name on Rachel’s skin she certainly wouldn’t have gone telling random Hockey players about it, not when the name in question was actually Quinn’s. “And you shouldn’t encourage Quinn’s petty gossip,” he told his boyfriend. 

“It’s just a bit of fun, Kurt,” Blaine excused.

“No it’s not,” Kurt argued. “It’s bullying. Rachel doesn’t deserve it. Quinn should just leave her alone. Now, let’s forget about everybody else. Let’s just concentrate on us,” he smiled sweetly. 

“Alright,” Blaine agreed taking a breadstick and feeding it to Kurt. “Tell me about your ideal soul mate.”

“Well that’s easy,” Kurt replied in a flirty tone. “That would be you Blaine.”

The shorter boy beamed and a light blush appeared on his cheeks. He fed Kurt food from his plate and happily shared a dessert with him. He didn’t claim Kurt to be his ideal soul mate though, a fact Kurt couldn’t help but notice and quietly agonise over. 

XXX

After their meal at Breadstix, they climbed into Kurt’s car and Kurt drove them to a quiet area Puck had recommended to him. It was a slightly more secluded and romantic place for teenagers to make-out rather than the standard sleazy places the majority went to. According to Puck, this spot was a better place to take the prudish girls and coax out their ‘inner-slut’ (Puck’s words, not Kurt’s). 

He parked up the car pleased to find they were the only two there that night. Despite the cold air, Kurt convinced Blaine to step out of the car with him and sit on the bonnet of the car wrapped up in their coats so they could gaze up at the stars. Kurt thought it would be a nice thing for them to do together and believed the sparkle of the stars would magically restore the fire to their teenage romance. Sadly, Blaine wasn’t really interested in the stars and kept fidgeting, seemingly bored. 

“The stars are beautiful tonight,” Kurt tried to gain Blaine’s interest. “You know, somebody told me a pretty story about the stars once. Would you like me to tell you?”

“If you want,” Blaine shrugged. 

Scooting closer to Blaine, Kurt wrapped an arm around the shorter boy’s waist and tried to re-tell the story Sebastian had told him the night they had gazed at the stars together. He didn’t relay the story quite the same, but he included all the crucial details and he still thought it was a beautiful story. While he had been captivated by Sebastian telling him about the Angel and Devil soul mates who becomes stars in the sky, Blaine seemed indifferent and continued to fidget. 

“It’s really cold,” Blaine pouted. “Can you take me home?”

“Of course,” Kurt nodded forcing a smile to hide his disappointment. 

XXX

That night, Kurt lay awake staring up at his bedroom ceiling wondering how looking up at the stars had felt more romantic with Sebastian than it had with the boy whose name was permanently marked on his skin.


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and commenting, hope you enjoy the next chapter =)

Chapter 7

It had been Blaine to suggest a study session at the Lima Bean after school and Kurt happily agreed. He thought perhaps he and Blaine could help each other write an essay or two as they drank coffee and ate cookies. Then maybe they could take a walk together as the weather was rather pleasant. They could hold hands and share kisses before making out in the backseat of the car. But the plan Kurt had in mind did not come to be. 

For the past forty minutes, Kurt had been struggling to concentrate on his Shakespeare essay while Blaine and Mike discussed Football as they did their Math homework. Mike was a nice guy and one of the few Football players who had never bullied Kurt so Kurt liked Mike, of course he did. But he really hadn’t been expecting the boy to join him and his boyfriend on their study date. He also couldn’t help but feel like a third wheel as Blaine and Mike sat side by side laughing and joking while Kurt sat across from them wondering if he’d turned invisible since neither boy had actually spoken to him since they’d sat down. 

So it was a relief to see Sebastian Smythe walk through the door. Straightening up in his seat, Kurt watched Sebastian as he queued up and made his order. As the Dalton student elegantly turned on his heel looking for a place to sit, Kurt shyly raised his hand to wave. With a smirk forming on his lips, Sebastian swaggered over to take the empty seat beside Kurt. 

“Hey Sebastian,” Blaine greeted finally breaking his conversation from Mike. “Do you remember Mike? Mike, you’ve met my friend Sebastian.”

“I’m more Kurt’s friend really,” Sebastian declared and Kurt felt his stomach flutter.

“Well that’s simply not true,” Kurt teased. “You should know by now that I openly despise you.”

“But secretly you yearn for me to hold you in my arms and dance with you under the starlight,” Sebastian said in a tone that was inappropriately flirtatious given that Kurt’s boyfriend was seated at the very same table. 

“Mike and I were just talking about Football,” Blaine stated. “What team do you support?” he placed a hand on Sebastian’s forearm trying to gain his attention. 

“Actually I don’t really follow Football,” Sebastian replied deciding to take his blazer off as an excuse to get Blaine’s hand off his arm. “So, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’?” he asked gesturing down to Kurt’s essay. 

“Yes,” Kurt acknowledged. “I have this essay due for tomorrow and honestly I’m a little stuck,” he admitted. 

“Let me read it over and I’ll see if I can help,” Sebastian offered scanning his eyes over what Kurt had written so far. 

“So you like Shakespeare?” Blaine asked Sebastian in another attempt to gain the boy’s attention. “Romeo and Juliet is my absolute favourite. Those two characters are just the perfect example of true soul mates.”

“They killed themselves, their love story is a tragic one,” Sebastian pointed out distractedly. “And at no point in the play does Shakespeare suggest that they are soul mates. In fact, Juliet was so young she may not have even been old enough for the name of her soul mate to appear. Personally I prefer Beatrice and Benedick,” he tapped Kurt’s copy of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. “They have banter, always teasing one another and both determined to always get the last word. Remind you of anyone, Kurt?” he winked at the boy.

“If you are referring to the two of us then I want it clear right here and now that I get to play the role of Benedick,” Kurt said. 

“Really,” Sebastian mused as he quirked an eyebrow in surprise. “I assumed a drama queen like you would demand the part of Lady Beatrice. I’m sure you’d look fabulous in a corset and Shakespeare period clothing. You probably have something appropriate in your wardrobe.”

“I can confirm that I look more than fabulous in a corset,” Kurt stated. “As much as it may disappoint you to learn I do not have any dresses in my wardrobe.”

“Just panties is it?” Sebastian smirked. 

“I do not wear panties,” Kurt huffed.

“You should,” Sebastian advised looking entirely serious and Kurt rolled his eyes as he felt his cheeks heat up just a little while Blaine frowned in his seat and Mike squirmed uncomfortably.

“However,” Kurt said pointedly refusing to stay on the subject of ‘panties’ any longer. “I will assume the role of Benedick and you can be my Lady Beatrice.”

“And why is that?” Sebastian challenged.

“Because,” Kurt explained. “At the end of the play Beatrice is talking and Benedick says ‘I will stop your mouth’ and then he kisses her. Then for the last pages of the script Beatrice has no further lines after Benedick has kissed her meaning that when all is said and done between them Benedick gets the final word. Therefore I shall be Benedick and you can be Beatrice. I get the final word, I win, you lose, and the world is as it should be.”

“You’d have to kiss me first,” Sebastian pointed out.

“Well obviously that’s not going to happen,” Blaine interjected before Kurt could retort.

“No, obviously not,” Kurt agreed drinking some of his coffee. He shifted in his seat to put some further distance between himself and Sebastian. He’d actually forgotten Blaine and Mike were at the table with them and he couldn’t help but feel guilty. 

“So Sebastian,” Blaine claimed the Dalton teen’s attention once more. “Mike and I were going to meet with Artie and play ‘Halo’ after Kurt goes home. You could join us,” he suggested.

Judging by Kurt’s body language, Sebastian assumed that Blaine hadn’t even considered inviting Kurt along to play ‘Halo’. This bothered Sebastian more than it probably should. 

“Actually, I have other plans,” Sebastian answered Blaine.

“Oh, what are you up to?” Blaine asked curiously. 

“I’ll be spending my time with somebody really special who consistently gets taken for granted by his obnoxious boyfriend,” Sebastian replied.

“Anybody we know?” Blaine asked.

“You could say that,” Sebastian answered coolly returning his focus to Kurt’s Shakespeare essay. “Your introduction needs to be stronger,” he told Kurt honestly. “But the main bulk of the essay is well structured and thought out. You’ve made some really insightful points about the background characters as well as the two leads and you’ve used the best examples to support your arguments. All you really need is to strengthen the opening paragraph and finish off with a strong and concise conclusion.”

“Thanks,” Kurt said taking the essay back.

“I could have helped you Kurt,” Blaine pointed out.

“You didn’t offer,” Sebastian replied swiftly. 

“Um, maybe we should just go to Artie’s,” Mike suggested feeling uncomfortable around Sebastian. 

“Yeah, ok,” Blaine agreed gathering his stuff. “Come on, Kurt, you should get home so Sebastian can hang out with this special boy with the bad boyfriend.”

“Blaine, dude,” Mike patted the shorter boy’s shoulder awkwardly. “No offence, man, but I think Kurt is the special someone and that you’re the bad boyfriend taking him for granted.”

“That’s ridiculous, I don’t take Kurt for granted,” Blaine argued. “Besides, Kurt and Sebastian can’t stand each other. They only behave civilly for my sake.”

“Some would say Beatrice and Benedick couldn’t stand each other either,” Sebastian commented. “They still ended up together and happily too; unlike your favoured Romeo and Juliet. Another coffee, Kurt, my treat?”

“Please,” Kurt agreed as he continued working on his essay.

“You don’t even know his coffee order,” Blaine huffed. 

“Oh but I do,” Sebastian said. “Don’t worry Blaine. Your boyfriend’s in good hands. I know exactly how to take care of your boy,” his tone was deliberately suggestive as he swaggered off to queue up for two fresh cups of coffee.

“What does he mean by that?” Blaine demanded to know looking to Kurt for an explanation.

“He’s just trying to wind you up,” Kurt answered casually keeping his eyes on his essay. “That’s just the way Sebastian is. Don’t worry about it.”

“Come on, we should go,” Mike said giving Blaine a gentle shove to encourage him to move. “See you later, Kurt,” he said awkwardly. 

As Kurt focused on finishing his essay, Sebastian returned and once again seated himself beside Kurt. 

“I’m not sure I like your boyfriend,” Sebastian commented. 

“You made friends with him before you made friends with me,” Kurt pointed out.

“And you just admitted you’re my friend,” Sebastian smirked triumphantly. 

“I suppose I did,” Kurt acknowledged rather than deny it. “And Blaine’s great,” he defended. “He’s smart, he’s talented, he’s handsome and… he’s great.”

“Yeah, I can tell how in love you are by the way you talk about him,” Sebastian remarked sarcastically. “Let’s be serious, Kurt, he isn’t the right guy for you.”

“Yes he is,” Kurt insisted still focusing on his essay.

“He doesn’t appreciate you,” Sebastian stated. “He doesn’t treat you the way you deserve to be treated. I’m sure he doesn’t love you.”

“He will, one day he will,” Kurt said. “Blaine once said that he’d give anything to have my name appear on his body.”

“Were you making out or something at the time?” Sebastian asked. “Because he probably just said it in the hopes that you’d put out. I’ve told people I wanted their name on my skin just to get them into bed.”

“That’s disgusting,” Kurt told him. “And Blaine’s not like that. Our relationship is about more than just sex.”

“Kurt, sweetheart, I know you don’t want to hear this…” Sebastian began.

“Then shut up,” Kurt interrupted.

“Maybe I should bite my tongue,” Sebastian mused. “But I’m saying this for your own good. Blaine isn’t right for you and your relationship is barely a relationship at all. You share more intimacy with me than you do with him. I’m even prepared to say that I already make you happier than he does. You looked miserable sitting at this table while your boyfriend ignored you. Then I turned up and you finally managed to smile. Blaine makes your life black and white. I come along and give you all the colours.”

“Careful,” Kurt warned. “Your words sound awfully romantic for somebody who doesn’t believe in soul mates.”

“A gentlemen doesn’t have to believe in soul mates to be romantic,” Sebastian shrugged. “Besides, I’m really just hoping a few pretty words will help me get into your pants.”

“Sebastian,” Kurt blushed and the other just grinned.

“Of course I still love the idea of you in panties,” Sebastian added wondering just how red Kurt’s cheeks could go.

“Oh my Gaga, shut up,” Kurt groaned feeling mortified. “I have a boyfriend. You can’t speak to me like this.”

“If your boyfriend doesn’t want me to speak to you like this he shouldn’t have left you alone with me,” Sebastian said gleefully. “And as I said, I don’t think I like Blaine too much. You should break up with him.”

“I can’t,” Kurt objected. “You don’t understand.”

“So explain it to me,” Sebastian requested as he sipped a mouthful of coffee. 

With a sigh, Kurt rested his hand on his hip and chewed his lower lip nervously before deciding to tell Sebastian the truth. 

“Blaine’s my soul mate,” Kurt announced.

“Yeah right,” Sebastian laughed as though it were the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.

Standing up, Kurt pushed the top of his trousers down just enough so that Sebastian could see the name on his skin. 

“Blaine’s my soul mate,” Kurt repeated wondering why his words sounded like an apology. 

Silently, Sebastian drained the remainder of his coffee and fixed his blazer back on before exiting the Lima Bean without a backward glance.


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody, thanks for reading and welcome to the next chapter...

Chapter 8

It hadn’t been that long since Kurt and Sebastian had seen one another, not really. Perhaps three weeks at the most. But it felt like so much longer to both boys and changes in their mood had been noticed by those around them.

XXX

“Something wrong, buddy?” Burt asked Kurt not believing his boy for a second when he claimed he was fine.

XXX

“Sebastian, what’s wrong?” a boy on the Lacrosse team asked. “Practice finished ten minutes ago, why are you still on the field? Hit the showers, man.”

XXX

“Are you sure everything’s ok, honey?” Carole asked concernedly placing a hand to Kurt’s forehead. “Are you getting a fever?”

XXX

“Get it together, Sebastian,” Thad huffed hysterically. “We have a public performance in less than two hours and you’re still turning left when you should be turning right.”

After a second failed rehearsal the decision was made for the choreography to be changed so that they turned left instead of right.

XXX

“Um, Kurt, did you wanna talk about something?” Finn asked uncertainly only for his step-brother to assure him there was no need for concern.

XXX

“Mr. Smythe?” the English teacher called Sebastian to stay behind after class. “You seem distracted lately, most unlike yourself. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you’ve met your soul mate.”

Sebastian laughed in his teacher’s face and ended up with extra homework.

XXX

“Ok, Hummel, tell Auntie Tana what’s up,” Santana demanded and Kurt just groaned and claimed she wouldn’t understand. “Oh so is it a penis thing?”

Kurt chose not to respond.

XXX

“Are you sure, sir?” the barista asked Sebastian as he made his coffee order at the Lima Bean. “That isn’t the coffee you usually choose?”

It shocked Sebastian to realise she was right. He had placed the wrong order and asked for Kurt’s coffee order rather than his own.

XXX

“It’s about Sebastian, isn’t it?” Rachel asked knowingly and Kurt became very interested in his fingernails. 

XXX

By the time Mr. Schue insisted Kurt take a counselling session with Miss Pillsbury, Kurt was painfully aware of how much he missed Sebastian’s company. 

“Now, Kurt, my office is a safe space,” Miss Pillsbury told him. “Anything you choose to share with me stays between us. It isn’t good to keep things bottled up all the time. You need to release these things in a healthy way. You can do that by talking to me or singing and dancing. You Glee kids all look so amazing up on that stage,” she praised. “And you Kurt, you have the most beautiful voice, so expressive and such emotion. Surely singing an appropriate number to reflect your mood and feelings would help you deal with some of the issues you may be experiencing. I’m sure I have a pamphlet for anything that may be a concern to you.”

“Do you think…?” Kurt hesitated unsure whether to confide in the woman or not. He looked to her and she smiled back at him waiting patiently. “Do you think our soul mate marks could be wrong?”

“Soul mates… wrong?” Miss Pillsbury looked both horrified and upset by such a suggestion. “Oh, Kurt, what would ever make you think that? It’s Rachel Berry isn’t it,” she sighed. “Now she’s a very talented girl I’m sure we can all agree but Rachel has become very anti-soul mate and clearly that negative attitude has influenced you. I’ve noticed you two spending more time together and I think it’s wonderful that Rachel finally has some real friends at this school but I’d hate for her to lead you astray and change the way you think and feel about such a beautiful thing. Soul mates are beautiful. They make the best songs, best books, and best movies. As a little girl I’d always dress up and pretend I was meeting my soul mate for the first time, being rescued by my soul mate, washing fruit for my soul mate, marrying my soul mate and when I got my little toothbrush to help clean my dad’s car I’d pretend I was doing it for my soul mate.”

“I believe in soul mates, Miss Pillsbury,” Kurt interrupted before she could ramble on further. “I really do. I think it’s beautiful and I think we all deserve love and that we should embrace it. I know we aren’t all lucky enough to meet our soul mate but with modern technology and social media it’s a lot easier to track a soul mate down and I do think people should try. But, lately, I’ve just been wondering… what if… what if the wrong name appears on our skin? Well, my skin specifically. What if I have the wrong name on my skin?”

“Oh, Kurt, I see,” Miss Pillsbury nodded. “I understand what this is about.”

“You do?” Kurt quirked an eyebrow unsure what the Guidance Counsellor meant.

“Of course, it’s so obvious now,” Miss Pillsbury said. “The name of your soul mate has appeared on your skin and you’re upset that it’s not Blaine. This is a perfectly natural reaction Kurt. Many of us think our High School Sweet Hearts will be the one and lots of teenage couples believe their names will appear on one another’s skin but it doesn’t always work out that way. I know it hurts now, Kurt, but once you meet your soul mate everything will fall in to place and you’ll realise how perfect he is for you. Now Blaine’s a lovely young man and the two of you look adorable together but in my professional opinion he was never right for you. If you want my advice, look up the name of your soul mate on Facebook and try and track him down and arrange a meeting. Oh and it’s probably best if you let Blaine down gently. He’ll no doubt be upset but I’m sure when all is said and done he’ll be happy for you. And I confess I’ve actually been prepared for this for some time now and I had the perfect pamphlet made,” she rummaged around in her drawers. “Ta-da!” she exclaimed with a proud smile as she handed the pamphlet to Kurt.

“How to dump Blaine Anderson so you can be with your soul mate,” Kurt read in disbelief.

“Just read the pamphlet and you’ll know what to do,” Miss Pillsbury beamed. “I’m glad we had this talk, Kurt.”

“Right, thanks,” Kurt said stowing the pamphlet away into his messenger bag and leaving the Guidance Office. 

XXX

He was supposed to have a coffee date with Blaine at the Lima Bean after school but apparently he was working on a dance number with Mike and Tina and couldn’t make it. So Kurt arrived at the Lima Bean alone, ordered his drink, took a seat and kept looking to the door hoping that Sebastian might show up. 

Ten minutes later, his hopes were answered and Sebastian strolled through the door with a handful of other Warbler members. Keeping his eyes on his notebook, Kurt quietly waited to see if Sebastian would make the effort to speak to him or if he would stay with the Dalton students. 

As it happened, Trent spotted Kurt first and gave him an enthusiastic wave before inviting Kurt to join him and his fellow Warblers. Collecting his things, Kurt moved from his seat by the window to a larger table in the middle of the room. He sat beside Trent and they chatted amicably as Jeff, Nick and finally Sebastian joined the table. He exchanged polite pleasantries with Nick and Jeff before looking to Sebastian, unsure what to say.

“I took the liberty of ordering you another,” Sebastian declared setting a fresh cup in front of Kurt.

“Thank you,” Kurt said. “How’ve you been?” he asked. “You rushed out pretty quickly last time.”

“I did,” Sebastian admitted and Trent, Nick and Jeff shared confused glances with one another. “I was surprised and I suppose I didn’t handle the situation as best as I could have. And I know you probably don’t want to hear it but I still think Blaine’s wrong for you.”

“Are you crazy?” Trent spluttered. “Kurt and Blaine are perfect together.”

“It’s true,” Nick agreed. “We had a bet going that you two would turn out to be soul mates back when you both attended Dalton. Even now that you’re both at McKinley everybody on The Warblers still expect you two to be together forever. You and Blaine are the real deal.”

“That’s… nice,” Kurt said a little uneasily. “But I think your confidence in mine and Blaine’s relationship may be misplaced. Sebastian isn’t the only person to suggest that Blaine may not be the right boy for me. In fact,” he withdrew Miss Pillsbury’s pamphlet from his school bag. “Even my Guidance Counsellor doubts the relationship so much she had this made.”

“How to dump Blaine Anderson so you can be with your soul mate,” Jeff read out loud. “Your Guidance Counsellor gave this to you?” he flipped through the pages to get a general idea of what information the pamphlet held. “There’s a list of song suggestions to sing when you break up with him? This is very different to the counselling methods of Dalton’s Guidance Advisor. Surely this has to be a joke, Kurt?”

“Miss Pillsbury’s pamphlets are blunt and direct,” Kurt shrugged. “But they are not a joke to her. She takes them very seriously and clearly she believes that Blaine and I are not meant to be. Santana and Rachel don’t think we’re right for one another and neither does my step-mum,” he revealed. 

“Well, I suppose you don’t know for sure until a name appears on your skin,” Nick reasoned. “And call me a hopeless romantic but I still believe you and Blaine will turn out to be soul mates. This pamphlet doesn’t mean anything,” he took the pamphlet from Jeff and looked it over with a frown. “You should just get rid of it.”

“Maybe,” Kurt mumbled taking the pamphlet and tucking it back into his bag. He shared a brief look with Sebastian, not prepared to tell Nick and the others that he already had Blaine’s name on his skin identifying the boy as his soul mate. 

After finishing their coffees, Nick, Jeff and Trent said their goodbyes to Kurt but Sebastian stayed seated. 

“So,” Sebastian said once they were alone. “You’re starting to doubt whether Blaine Anderson is right for you. Interesting, I seem to recall you telling me that he was smart and handsome and great.”

“Careful, you almost sound jealous,” Kurt joked.

“Maybe I am,” Sebastian replied seriously and Kurt just looked at him in stunned silence. “Look, I’m hardly an expert when it comes to soul mates or even relationships. I’ve never even dated somebody so who am I to suggest that Blaine doesn’t treat you right? His name’s on your skin, he’s your soul mate and I’m sure that’s all that matters.”

“Not so long ago I really did believe that Blaine’s name being on my skin was the only thing that mattered,” Kurt sighed. “But now I’m not so sure. I mean look at this, right now,” he indicated between himself and Sebastian. “This is supposed to be my coffee date with Blaine.”

“And yet here you are, with me,” Sebastian reached his hand out to place on top of Kurt’s.

“Lately, Blaine only holds my hand underneath the table,” Kurt commented as he stared down at Sebastian’s hand atop his own. “Assuming he shows up to the date of course.”

“Are you busy on Saturday?” Sebastian asked.

“Do you mean this Saturday?” Kurt checked and the Dalton boy nodded. “Well, I do have a date planned with Blaine. Of course he’s been cancelling all of our dates or bringing other people along to them. So, no, not busy at all.”

“Good,” Sebastian nodded squeezing the McKinley student’s hand. “I’ll pick you up in the morning.”

“Why?” Kurt asked.

“Because I’m going to take you out to a number of different places and we’re going to have numerous dates crammed into one Saturday,” Sebastian informed him. “In a single day, I’m going to show you that I could be a better boyfriend than Blaine. In a single day, I’m going to show you why ‘Sebastian Smythe’ should be the name on your skin. What do you think?”

“I think you’ve been drinking too much coffee and you’re crazy,” Kurt responded, snatching hold of Sebastian’s hand when he made to pull it away. “But…” he hooked his bag onto his shoulder and released Sebastian’s hand as he stood up. “I’m excited about Saturday.”


	10. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello dear readers, its been a couple of weeks but welcome to the next chapter, enjoy

Chapter 9

Kurt woke up early on Saturday morning and immediately got to work on making himself ready for his day with Sebastian Smythe. He took greater care with his morning routine than usual. He brushed his teeth for double the usual time and spent a full half hour longer perfecting his hairstyle. Not knowing what Sebastian had in store for him, Kurt really had no idea how to coordinate his outfit for the day’s events. Typically he would throw together a daring and colourful fashion ensemble if he were going on a date with Blaine. But as he was going to be spending the day with Sebastian, Kurt decided to forgo his more eye-catching fashion pieces and dress for comfort. 

Of course, just because it was a toned-down look didn’t mean it wasn’t good. The simple black skinny jeans may well have just been a pair of simple black skinny jeans, but they were the best pair of black skinny jeans in all of Ohio. He paired it with his comfiest pair of black boots and a simple white button-up shirt. It may not be a dramatic fashion choice but he still looked amazing and Kurt liked to think the material hugged his body in all the right places to still make it an eye-catching outfit. 

Heading downstairs, he tried to act casual and ignore the feelings of nervousness and excitement that were having a full blown battle inside his stomach. 

“You look very nice,” Carole complimented as she eyed Kurt with a twinkle in her eye and smile on her lips. “What are you getting up to today?”

“Actually, I have no idea,” Kurt admitted. “But I’m looking forward to it. He should be picking me up soon.”

“He?” Carole asked. “Do you mean Blaine or Sebastian?”

“Oh, well,” Kurt shifted uncomfortably under his step-mum’s gaze. “Technically I have plans with them both. So I guess it depends on who arrives to pick me up first. Anyway, Blaine’s cancelled our dates so many times recently so I don’t expect him to show and who can blame me for making other plans… right?”

“Kurt, honey, what you do with your private life is entirely up to you,” Carole told him. “Just as long as you’re happy. That’s all your dad and I want for you and Finn.”

“It’s not cheating though, right?” Kurt asked. “I mean, it’s not like I’m dating Sebastian behind Blaine’s back. I’m just spending time with a friend.”

“If you go out with Sebastian today, do you plan to kiss him when he brings you home?” Carole asked.

“No, of course not,” Kurt said hurriedly. 

“Ok,” Carole nodded thoughtfully. “Now, and be honest Kurt, I’m not going to judge you, honey… do you want Sebastian to kiss you?”

“No,” he answered promptly but with little conviction. “I’m a terrible human being,” he groaned. “But just because I might want Sebastian to kiss me doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. It isn’t cheating if I don’t, right?”

“Not physically, no,” Carole replied. “But there might be a little bit of emotional cheating going on here. And that doesn’t make you a bad person,” she added when Kurt cast his eyes to the carpet in shame. “It just makes you human. But I think you know that you can’t run around being Blaine’s boyfriend but wanting to be Sebastian’s boyfriend forever. You have to make a decision.”

“I just don’t know what I’m supposed to want,” Kurt told her. “I’ve had this name on my hip for years telling me what I should want. But I’m not so sure anymore. Maybe… maybe I want something else. Someone else.”

“Well, ask yourself this,” Carole advised. “Who do you want to knock on that door today? Do you want it to be Blaine or do you want it to be Sebastian?”

The boy rubbed his hand over his hip where Blaine’s name was hidden beneath his clothing. 

“I want it to be Sebastian,” Kurt confessed wondering if he rubbed his soul mate mark for long enough the name would change, though of course he knew that was not possible.

“Then I think you know what you want and what you need to do,” Carole said. A knock sounded at the door. “Are you going to answer it?”

“What if it’s Blaine?” Kurt asked. “Can you answer it, Carole, please? If it’s Blaine just tell him I’m sick or something.”

“No, honey,” Carole shook her head. “You need to sort these things out for yourself. Go on, go answer the door.”

Taking a breath, Kurt made his way to the front door. The journey seemed to take longer than normal and Kurt could feel his heart hammering. He had no idea what he would do if Blaine was standing on the other side. He had even less idea what he would do if it was Sebastian. Reaching out for the handle, he almost hoped that it would be one of the girls or a neighbour just so he’d have longer to prepare himself. But he opened the door and smiled wide as his eyes landed on Sebastian.

“Hey,” Kurt breathed out in relief. 

“Well don’t you look beautiful,” Sebastian complimented. “Come on, before we do anything else I’m taking you to breakfast.”

XXX

They drove to a cosy little family-run café in Westerville for breakfast. It was nice to have Sebastian open the door for him, pull his chair out and actually be interested in the conversation. Normally when Kurt went to a café or restaurant with Blaine the other boy would be texting somebody else on his phone so it was definitely a welcome change to have Sebastian’s full attention. 

“So, may I ask what you have in store for the day?” Kurt questioned.

“You’ll find out,” Sebastian told him mysteriously. “Hey, I’ll trade you a bite of bacon for a bite of a hash brown,” he offered.

Kurt found he rather enjoyed feeding Sebastian a bite of his food and he liked it just as much that the favour was returned. Too many times he’d offered Blaine a taste of his food but the other boy had rarely shared anything from his plate. 

“Will you at least split the bill with me?” Kurt asked. Typically Blaine would cover the cheque whenever they went out for a meal, almost as though he liked to show off that he was wealthier than Kurt.

“Tell you what,” Sebastian responded thoughtfully. “How about you pay for breakfast, I’ll cover lunch later and then we can split the bill for dinner in the evening?”

“That sounds reasonable,” Kurt agreed. “But do you really think you can hold my interest for that long?”

“Of course,” Sebastian answered confidently. “I’m charming, witty and sexy. Besides, if you really didn’t care for my company you wouldn’t have agreed to come out with me at all. There’s no use playing hard to get, Hummel. I’ve already got you,” he smirked. 

“You’re doing remarkably well so far,” Kurt admitted. “But don’t get too cocky,” he warned as he took his wallet out to cover the pay for their breakfast. “Where are we going next?”

“You’ll see,” Sebastian teased slipping on his black denim jacket and holding his hand out to the other boy. “No, no, we’ll come back for the car,” he explained as Kurt made for the direction of Sebastian’s vehicle. “Walk quickly now,” he said checking the time on his phone. “We’ll have a full hour’s wait if we miss it.”

Keeping hold of Sebastian’s hand and walking quickly to match the Dalton boy’s long strides, Kurt wondered what ‘it’ might be. He didn’t have too long of a wait to find out that ‘it’ was a trip on a canal boat. 

“I didn’t even realise there was a canal running through Westerville,” Kurt said to Sebastian.

“Many people don’t,” Sebastian replied as he helped Kurt into the boat, keeping a steady hand on his hip (the one that didn’t have Blaine Anderson’s name on it).

They sat down together and soon a cute old couple and a family with two small children joined them on the boat trip. The canal boat started to move and the lady working on the canal boat told them some of the history of the canal and pointed out to different things as they slowly passed through the water. 

The old man appeared to be falling asleep, the old lady with him nudging him with her elbow every few minutes and grumbling at him. Kurt and Sebastian had to avert their gazes from one another so that they didn’t laugh. As for the two small children, their parents seemed to be having trouble making them sit still. One of the children, a little girl, came up to Sebastian and asked if he wanted to be her friend.

“Absolutely not,” Sebastian scoffed and the girl pouted at him before moving back to her brother and whispering in his ear, pointing at Sebastian as he did so. In retaliation, Sebastian leaned in to Kurt and pretended to whisper things in his ear as he pointed at the little girl.

“Sebastian,” Kurt whacked him on the arm. “She’s a little girl.”

“Yes, a little girl who is clearly saying bad things about me to her brother,” Sebastian pointed out. “Look, she’s even telling tales about me to her mother now,” he said.

The girl glared over at him and poked her tongue out so Sebastian screwed his face up and poked his tongue back out at her.

“Don’t be childish,” Kurt told him.

“She’s being childish,” Sebastian accused pointing at the little girl.

“She is a child,” Kurt reasoned. 

“She’s being mean to me,” Sebastian pouted hoping for sympathy.

“You were mean to her first,” Kurt replied. “She asked if you wanted to be her friend.”

“Well now she’s just bullying me,” Sebastian complained. 

“She’s like five years old,” Kurt laughed. “Just ignore her.”

The girl inched a little closer to them and told Sebastian that he smelled like dog poo.

“Shut up, you smell like dog poo,” Sebastian responded.

“You have silly hair,” the girl said.

“You have a silly face,” Sebastian returned and Kurt rolled his eyes.

“You’re a big fat slug and your mummy cries because you’re so ugly,” the girl insisted.

“Well your mum makes peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches,” Sebastian replied, “and they taste really, really bad.”

“Seriously, that’s your comeback?” Kurt asked in disbelief. 

The trip on the canal boat came to an end and they got back off at the same place they had first gotten on. Before leaving with her brother and parents, the little girl plucked a flower from the ground and handed it to Kurt with a smile and a curtsey. She handed Sebastian a dirty pebble from the ground and poked her tongue out at him. As her back was turned, Sebastian raised his arm as though to throw the stone at her but Kurt pulled his arm back.

“You’re not great with children are you?” Kurt pried the small rock from Sebastian’s hand and let it drop to the ground.

“Children annoy me,” Sebastian said. “But that little girl isn’t going to ruin our day together. Come on, we have plenty more to do today. I think you’ll enjoy what I’ve planned next. Let me just check that everything is in order,” he took his phone out and sent off a few text messages before leading Kurt back to his car. “Now, as a former member of Dalton Academy I’m sure you’re aware of our sister school.”

“Of course,” Kurt nodded as he buckled his seat belt.

“Well, I’ve convinced the girls’ Glee Club to put on a special show for us,” Sebastian revealed. “They’ll be singing a selection of songs that make me think about you as well as a selection of songs that should make you think about me.”

“Would one of these songs be ‘You’re So Vain’?” Kurt asked.

“Witty,” Sebastian grinned. 

They arrived at the girls’ school and there were two girls waiting to meet them at the gate and sneak them in to the performance hall. Unsurprisingly, the songs that were supposed to make Kurt think about Sebastian were all sexual. Sebastian even joined the girls on stage to show off his sultry dance moves and Kurt had to cross one leg over the other to hide how impressed he really was. The songs Sebastian had picked out to showcase what he thought about Kurt were more of a surprise. They were actually sweet and romantic. But they weren’t official soulmate songs which made sense given that Sebastian claimed not to believe in them.

After the all-girl Show Choir finished the last number, Kurt and Sebastian applauded them before taking their leave and heading out for a spot of lunch. They sat side by side as they shared a large cheesy pizza and drank coca-cola. He hadn’t been expecting Sebastian to take him to a pizza place for lunch. He had expected the boy to take him somewhere posh and fancy so he could show off his money. That’s what Blaine had done when they first started dating, before Breadstix became their go to dating venue. But Kurt found that he appreciated the fact Sebastian wasn’t showing off his money to impress him and contrary to popular belief, Kurt enjoyed stuffing his face with a greasy pizza every now and then just as much as the likes of Finn Hudson.

As promised, Sebastian paid for their lunch as Kurt had paid for their breakfast. The two boys then simply went for a random walk, just talking and getting to learn more about the other. At around three in the afternoon it started to rain just a little. So the boys headed in to the Westerville Art Gallery and Museum to avoid the rain and to feel sophisticated and do something a little more cultured. 

They kept close together as they moved around looking at the different art pieces. In fact, Sebastian was practically acting as Kurt’s shadow and always kept a hand somewhere on the boy’s body. He gave his opinion to Kurt about each painting they admired. He even offered details about the artists and Kurt honestly wasn’t sure if Sebastian was simply making it all up or if he genuinely was that knowledgeable when it came to Art.

By the time they left the Gallery the rain had cleared up but there was a chill in the air so Sebastian shrugged off his black denim jacket and wrapped it around Kurt’s shoulders. Sebastian kept his arm around Kurt’s waist as they walked about for nearly half an hour trying to find the car again. They drove around aimlessly for a while singing along to the radio and Kurt couldn’t deny that he’d had more fun with Sebastian than he’d had with Blaine for a long time. He wasn’t even sure if he ever had so much fun with Blaine, or if he just convinced himself that the boy was perfect and everything he wanted purely because the idea of having a soulmate was so romanticised in his head from all the books and movies.

“Are you hungry?” Sebastian asked and Kurt nodded so they drove around and found somewhere just outside of Westerville for dinner.

Just as they had agreed to in the morning, they split the bill for dinner. It was a simple thing really, sharing the cost of a meal, but Kurt appreciated it and felt it made them more equal. The food had been delicious, the service was excellent and the overall atmosphere was an extremely pleasant one. During dessert, Kurt had found himself eating slower and slower so he could drag the evening out just a little more and delay the part of the evening where they would need to leave. 

On the car journey back to Lima, Sebastian parked the car in an empty lot.

“Is this where you try to seduce me or simply where you’re going to hide my body after murdering me?” Kurt enquired and Sebastian released a laugh as he turned the radio on.

He settled on a station devoted to love songs and turned up the volume before stepping out of the car, leaving the door open. He moved around to the other side and opened Kurt’s door, offering his hand to him. The McKinley student didn’t even hesitate as he accepted Sebastian’s hand and stepped out with him. 

“Dance with me,” Sebastian requested setting one hand at Kurt’s waist. 

“You really are pulling out all the stops,” Kurt commented as he wound an arm about the other boy’s neck. 

“I’m just showing you a small glimpse of how you deserve to be treated,” Sebastian responded as they slow-danced to the music playing from the car. “You look beautiful in the moonlight,” he complimented.

“You too,” Kurt whispered back.

He wanted to kiss him. He wanted to kiss Sebastian, desperately. He darted his pink tongue out to moisten his lips as he gazed at Sebastian’s mouth, imagining what the boy might taste like.

“Kurt,” Sebastian said his name gently. “I’m not going to kiss you,” he smiled fondly at Kurt’s resulting frown. “You have a boyfriend,” he reminded him. “Not a very good one,” he admitted. “But he’s still your boyfriend. I don’t want to be the guy that makes you cheat on him.”

“Then what was today all about?” Kurt asked.

“To convince you that I should be the guy you leave your boyfriend for,” Sebastian responded. “If you break up with Blaine then I’ll take you out again… and then I’ll kiss you.”

“Promise?” Kurt wondered aloud.

“I promise,” Sebastian replied drawing him in for a hug. “It’s getting late. I should drive you home before your family starts worrying.”

XXX

That night, Kurt sat up in his bed (still wearing Sebastian’s black denim jacket) and read over the pamphlet he had obtained from Miss Pillsbury looking through all the suggestions on ways to break up with Blaine.


	11. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello dear readers, thanks for reading, welcome to chapter ten...

Chapter 10

On Sunday, Kurt went grocery shopping with Carole. As they pushed their cart around the store, Kurt shared all the details of his date with Sebastian the day before. He couldn’t fight away the grin on his face as he recounted Sebastian’s interaction with the little girl and how they had simply enjoyed themselves just by walking around together and talking. 

“It sounds like you had a lovely time,” Carole smiled as Kurt finished telling her about dancing with Sebastian under the moonlight. 

“I really did,” Kurt acknowledged. “He made me feel special.”

“Are you seeing him again?” Carole asked as she selected a few pots from the spice rack.

“I want to,” Kurt admitted. “But I need to end things with Blaine first.”

He surveyed his step-mother carefully from underneath his eyelashes, trying to gauge her reaction. She added a few more items to their shopping trolley before winding an arm around his shoulders and kissing his cheek.

“Do what makes you happy, sweetheart,” Carole encouraged him.

“So… you think I’m doing the right thing?” Kurt asked her. “You think I should try for a relationship with Sebastian even though we know that Blaine Anderson is my soul mate? You don’t think I’m making a terrible mistake?”

“Kurt, honey,” Carole told him. “The first time you ever met Blaine you gushed to me about him for ten full minutes. The first time you sang a duet together you called me on the phone afterwards to tell me about it. You told me about your first kiss and you barely took time to breathe as you described it. After your first date with Blaine, you and I sat on the staircase for fifteen minutes as you told me all about it. You were excited and you were happy,” she recalled. “But that excitement didn’t last. The thought of Blaine doesn’t make you happy anymore. You don’t sit and gush to me about how romantic Blaine is or how wonderful your dates are. That sparkle you had in your eyes when you first met him has gone. But there’s a glitter in your eyes now. I see it when you talk about Sebastian. And honey, you’ve been passionate about Sebastian from day one even when you thought you hated him.”

“Sebastian makes me happier than Blaine,” Kurt stated. “I’d much rather spend my time with him. But I have Blaine’s name on my skin,” he reasoned. “That has to mean something.”

“It means what you need it to,” Carole advised. “Blaine Anderson is your soul mate. We can’t argue with that. The proof is on your hip. But ‘soul mate’ doesn’t have to mean what the fairytales tell you it means. It doesn’t mean that Blaine has to be your boyfriend, or your husband, or your one and only. Blaine Anderson is your soul mate, yes. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s also the love of your life. You know what you want to do, sweetie, now find the courage inside yourself to do it.”

“Courage,” Kurt repeated with a sigh. “Blaine taught me to have courage again.”

“He did,” Carole nodded. “Blaine was the breath of fresh air in your life just when you needed it most. He helped you remember how to stand up tall and hold your head up high. He reminded you to be brave, proud and unapologetic for who you are. In a way, that boy did save your life and he helped you find your courage. I’ll always love Blaine for that. Maybe that’s why he’s your soul mate. You needed to meet him so that he could help you through the bullying. And he needed to meet you so that he could help you stand up to them and take care of you, the way he was never taken care of when he had his experiences of bullying. You boys are soul mates because you needed each other, I have no doubt about that,” Carole said earnestly. “But just because you needed each other then doesn’t mean you need each other now and forever. The way I see it, you found your soul mate when you were the most lost. Blaine helped you find yourself again. Now its up to you to find your heart and I think we both know it was never in Blaine’s hands.”

XXX

By Monday morning, Kurt had decided that he was going to break up with Blaine. He just wasn’t entirely sure how he was going to do it. But he wanted it to be private. He didn’t want to sing a solo and then make a dramatic speech that led to a massive argument in front of the Glee Club. If nothing else, Blaine deserved to be told face-to-face and let down gently. Of course, the issue was being able to get Blaine alone long enough to break up with him.

Striding through the school halls of McKinley, he found Blaine talking animatedly to Mike, Artie and Tina. He adjusted the scarf around his neck before making his way over and greeting them ‘good morning’.

“Hi Kurt,” Mike smiled and Artie offered him a fist bump.

“Nice scarf, Kurt,” Tina complimented.

“Thanks,” Kurt told her. “Blaine, could we maybe…”

“Ssh, Kurt, we’re in the middle of a conversation,” Blaine interrupted barely casting him a single glance before resuming his talk with the other three, Mike in particular looking uncomfortable.

Biting his lower lip and trying to ignore the heat burning in his cheeks over being ‘shushed’ in front of their friends, Kurt forced himself to remain patient and wait for the current conversation to end. Once there seemed to be a break in the discussion, Kurt stepped closer to Blaine and placed a hand to his upper arm to gain his attention. 

“Blaine, could we talk?” Kurt asked. “Privately,” he added in a whisper offering the other three a show smile hoping they wouldn’t suspect anything was wrong.

“Not now, Kurt, we need to get to class,” Blaine stated looking down at his watch. “Come on, guys,” he said to Artie and Tina and they followed after him leaving Kurt stood with Mike.

“You ok?” Mike asked awkwardly. 

“Sure, fine,” Kurt lied. He knew that he wasn’t very convincing and that Mike knew he was lying. The dancer had obviously recognised that Kurt and Blaine were having difficulties in their relationship even if Blaine himself wasn’t aware. But as nice as Mike had always been, Kurt just didn’t know the boy well enough to open up and confide in him and Mike seemed to respect that as he changed the conversation to their obvious shared interest, Glee Club. They walked to their lesson together before parting ways as Mike moved to sit with Finn and Puck while Kurt sat up front with Mercedes.

XXX

Between classes, Kurt tried to get Blaine alone but the former Warbler always had somewhere else to be and somebody else to speak to. At lunch time, Kurt suggested that he and Blaine take their lunch in the Choir Room so they could have some privacy. To Kurt’s relief, Blaine agreed claiming it was a good idea. He then showed up to the Choir Room with Tina, Artie and Finn so once again Kurt was unable to break up with his boyfriend.

XXX

In his last class of the day, Rachel and Santana were both texting him asking what was bothering him. He admitted to Rachel that he’d been trying to break up with Blaine all day but hadn’t been able to get the boy alone to have such a delicate conversation. He told Santana he was fine. If the Latina girl knew he planned to break up with Blaine then she’d make a huge drama over it and that was precisely what Kurt hoped to avoid. 

He received another text from Rachel. She suggested he just dump Blaine through text but Kurt refused claiming it was too harsh. Naturally, she also suggested he break up with Blaine through song but breaking up with Blaine Anderson didn’t make Kurt feel like singing. After a few more ideas that Kurt rejected, Rachel offered to ask Blaine to stay behind after Glee so they could rehearse a duet together, then she would pretend to go to the toilet and Kurt could enter and break up with him then. It was the best idea they could think of so Kurt agreed and spent the remainder of the lesson trying to work out what he would say. He couldn’t help but rub at the name on his hip. Even though he believed himself to be doing the right thing, the knowledge that he was breaking up with the boy he knew to be his soul mate was scary and upsetting. 

XXX

Ordinarily, Kurt enjoyed Glee Club. It was often the best part of his day. But this was not a typical Monday. At the end of the hour, he planned to be breaking up with his boyfriend. It didn’t help that of all days this was the time Blaine opted to sing a love song and dedicate it to Kurt in front of everybody.

Kurt tried not to squirm in his seat as his boyfriend sang to him. The song was beautiful and of course Blaine’s vocal was stunning. Glancing around, Kurt could see that Mr. Schue was smiling proudly. Tina, Mercedes and Quinn kept looking between Blaine and Kurt happily, cooing over the pair. Santana and Brittany were smiling at each other as they linked their fingers. Finn and Artie were nodding their heads in time to the beat. Puck was slumped in his seat rolling his eyes over the lyrics. Mike was holding Tina’s hand and shooting concerned looks to Kurt ever few seconds. Then there was Rachel who somehow looked more uncomfortable than Kurt felt.

Finally, the song ended and nearly everybody stood to their feet as they applauded Blaine’s efforts. 

“Are you ok?” Rachel asked in a whisper while the applause and congratulations for Blaine was still going on.

“He’s just made this more awkward,” Kurt sighed. “But I need to do it, Rach, I have to.”

“I know,” Rachel replied quietly rubbing his forearm comfortingly. “You’re doing the right thing.”

“Hey, Man Hands,” Quinn sniped making Rachel jump. “Leave Kurt alone. He probably wants to thank his boyfriend, not worry about getting his eye taken out by your big nose.”

“Shut up, Quinn,” Kurt and Puck snapped defensively. 

“Calm down, guys,” Mr. Schue said. “Kurt, why don’t you thank Blaine for his lovely performance,” he smiled. “And Quinn, apologise to Rachel.”

“Fine, sorry,” Quinn huffed with a roll of her eyes clearly not apologetic at all. 

“Forget her,” Puck told Rachel supportively and the girl just nodded quietly as her lower back (where Quinn’s name resided) began to itch.

“Beautiful song choice,” Kurt told Blaine with a forced smile pressing a quick kiss to the boy’s cheek.

“Hey, a boy needs more thanks than that,” Blaine claimed moving in for a kiss on their mouth, spurred on by Tina and Mercedes’ cat-calls.

“Not in front of my step-brother,” Kurt pulled away using Finn’s presence as an excuse.

“Doesn’t bother me little brother,” Finn laughed and Kurt struggled not to glare at him as he returned to his seat with Blaine practically hanging off of his arm after ignoring him for most of the day.

The Glee session resumed with Mike and Brittany working with Mr. Schue to lead the others through some new choreography. 

As planned, when Glee Club ended, Rachel requested Blaine to remain behind with her so they could practice a duet together. 

“Sure, I’d love to,” Blaine agreed. 

“What about Kurt?” Mike spoke up. “Maybe you two should spend some time together. A date a Breadsticks maybe? It’s been a while since you’ve had a proper date,” he pointed out.

“Oh, ok,” Blaine nodded smiling at Kurt. “Could we meet up tomorrow instead?” he asked Rachel.

“Oh, but I was really hoping to get to work on this as soon as possible,” Rachel answered sending Kurt quick look of helplessness. 

“Don’t be so selfish, Berry,” Quinn sneered and Rachel cast her eyes to the ground swallowing the lump in her throat.

“I could do a duet with you,” Finn offered.

“Um…?” Rachel looked to Kurt wondering how she should respond.

“That’s a great idea,” Kurt said. “Rachel and Finn can work on a duet and Blaine and I will go to Breadsticks.”

“Ok,” Rachel agreed discreetly mouthing a ‘sorry’ to Kurt before faking a smile for Finn and rummaging through Brad’s sheet music in search of a duet piece. 

“Ready to go?” Kurt asked Blaine and the shorter boy offered his arm and Kurt took a gentle hold of it.

“Hey, how about we make it a double date?” Brittany asked gesturing to herself and Santana. “We love Breadsticks.”

“Sure, sounds fun,” Blaine agreed and Kurt barely suppressed a groan.

He looked back at Rachel over his shoulder as they left the Choir Room and the girl just shrugged at him with a sad expression. He received a text from her as they were being seated at a table in the restaurant. Rachel told him to try and enjoy the meal and she’d try and think of something. He wasn’t entirely sure what that meant so he just tucked his phone back in his pocket and popped a breadstick into his mouth while Santana and Brittany made out with each other on the opposite side of the table. 

As the double date continued and their meals were brought out, Kurt couldn’t help but notice the difference between himself and Blaine and Brittany and Santana. The girls were all over each other and fondness shined in their eyes whenever they gazed at one another. He and Blaine were simply sat side-by-side quietly eating. They weren’t even having a conversation as Blaine seemed to be more interested in texting people on his phone. Kurt doubted he and Blaine even looked like a couple to a casual observer whereas Santana and Brittany’s love for one another was obvious. This double date convinced Kurt even further that breaking up with Blaine was the right thing to do. But he didn’t want to embarrass the other boy by ending things in front of their friends, especially Santana, she’d mock Blaine about it for a good month or two.

Just as they were finishing their food, Rachel came bursting in with a panting Finn following behind her looking incredibly confused. 

“What are you two doing here?” Blaine asked looking at them in surprise.

“Oh, well, Finn and I are dating again,” Rachel improvised wrapping an arm around his waist.

“We are?” Finn asked. “Since when?”

“Haha, haha, he’s always like this,” Rachel laughed as the others stared at her. “Anyway, we thought we’d join you.”

“There’s no room at the table,” Brittany pointed out.

“Well I’m sure there will be soon because Kurt and Blaine have to leave,” Rachel stated.

“What, why?” Blaine asked.

“Because… Kurt is… grounded,” Rachel lied. “Right Finn?” she asked digging her nails into his hip.

“Um, right,” Finn winced. “Kurt is grounded,” he reaffirmed. 

“So you’d better take Kurt home, Blaine, because Burt and Carole are really mad, right Finn?” Rachel smiled up at her ‘date’.

“Right, Kurt should go,” Finn nodded still looking highly confused.

“What was Kurt grounded for?” Brittany asked.

“He missed curfew,” Rachel said at the same time Finn claimed “He broke a vase.”

“Yes,” Kurt agreed awkwardly. “I missed my curfew and accidentally broke a vase when I returned home late. I should, I should go,” he stood up.

“Whatever, Hummel, I can smell the sketchiness from here,” Santana stated. “What’s really going on? Come on, tell your Auntie Tana.”

“Auntie Tana doesn’t need to know this one,” Rachel claimed. “Auntie Tana just needs to eat another breadstick,” she shoved a breadstick into Santana’s mouth before practically pushing Blaine out of his seat and sitting down, pulling Finn alongside her. “Get home quick, Kurt, see you guys tomorrow, bye, well isn’t this lovely,” she took a sip of Blaine’s drink while Kurt headed out of the restaurant with his boyfriend confusedly following him.

“Kurt?” Blaine asked as they walked out to Blaine’s car. “What was all that in there? Are Rachel and Finn really back together? Were you really grounded? What’s going on, Kurt? This is all really weird it’s like I don’t even know you anymore.”

“Rachel’s not back with Finn, she’s just trying to help me out,” Kurt answered. “I’ve been trying to tell you all day Blaine but you haven’t been there, you haven’t listened. Any time I try to get you alone you have some reason why you have to run off and spend time with somebody else. Just like you’ve been cancelling all of our dates because you always have better things to do with somebody else.”

“Kurt, I…” Blaine tried to say something but Kurt held his hand up to silence him.

“Don’t, Blaine, just don’t,” Kurt warned. “Because I really need to do this.”

“Do what?” Blaine asked looking totally clueless.

“Are you happy with me?” Kurt asked him. 

“Of course I am,” Blaine answered. “Didn’t you listen to that song I performed for you in Glee?”

“Yeah, I did and the song was great,” Kurt sighed. “But seriously, Blaine, do you think we’re right for each other? Do you think we have a good relationship?”

“What are you talking about?” Blaine seemed shocked. “Our relationship is great. We easily have the strongest relationship out of anybody in the Glee Club.”

“Really, you honestly believe that?” Kurt pried and Blaine nodded. “Oh boy,” Kurt sighed.

“What’s wrong with you, Kurt?” Blaine asked stepping closer and resting his hands on the boy’s waist. “You seem really tense lately. What’s bothering you? Talk to me,” he requested as he stroked his thumbs in circular motions over Kurt’s hips, unknowingly rubbing over his own name that was marked on Kurt’s skin.

“Blaine… I… do you remember when we met?” Kurt gently moved Blaine’s hands off of his hips. It didn’t feel right for Blaine to touch his soul mate mark.

“How could I forget,” Blaine laughed. “Your attempts to spy will always remain a legend at Dalton. You were so adorable and endearing. I just knew I had to take care of you.”

“And you did,” Kurt admitted. “That was a really bad time for me with the bullying and everything but you really helped me through that, Blaine. I’ll always be thankful for that. But we’re not the same people we were. We’ve changed since then.”

“Change can be a good thing,” Blaine pointed out.

“It can,” Kurt agreed. “And I think this new change I want to make for us will be a good thing too.”

“New change?” Blaine asked looking confused for a moment before his eyes seemed to widen in some kind of realisation. “Oh Kurt, I understand what this is all about.”

“You do?” Kurt replied hopefully. Things would be so much easier if Blaine was on the same page as him.

“Yes,” Blaine smiled pulling Kurt down for a hug and pressing a kiss to the side of his neck. “You’re so right, Kurt,” he pressed a kiss beneath the taller boy’s earlobe. “It’s time, we’re both ready.”

As Blaine pressed a kiss to Kurt’s mouth it became clear to Kurt that Blaine did not understand his intentions at all. He pulled back and placed his hands against Blaine’s chest to prevent him from stepping closer.

“Wait, Blaine, this isn’t…” Kurt tried to explain.

“I know,” Blaine grinned. “We can’t just do it out here in the open. Could you sneak me in to your place or should we do it in my car?”

“No, Blaine, I am not having sex with you this isn’t what this is about,” Kurt responded. “Blaine, I want to break up with you.”

“What?” Blaine looked beyond shocked and the devastated expression that overtook his handsome features made Kurt feel guilty. “But… I don’t understand… we’re happy… you love me.”

Kurt closed his eyes and rubbed his hands over his face. It didn’t escape his attention that Blaine had said ‘you love me’ and mentioned nothing about him loving Kurt. He really didn’t know how to handle the situation. He hadn’t really given much thought to how Blaine might react when he broke up with him. He supposed it was foolish not to have thought it through and prepared himself for a number of different scenarios. 

“Look, I’m sorry,” Kurt apologised. “But it’s over. I can’t do this anymore.”

“Ouch,” Blaine winced clutching at his inner left arm and Kurt gave him a strange look.

“Blaine?” Kurt asked feeling concerned as Blaine scratched at his arm.

“Something must have bit me,” Blaine excused pulling his sleeve down. “But Kurt, come on, we can’t break up. We’re made for each other.”

“We barely even spend any time together, Blaine,” Kurt pointed out.

“Alright, I’ll try and make more time for you,” Blaine offered as he continued to scratch at his now bare arm.

“It doesn’t work like that,” Kurt tried to say before faltering as his eyes were drawn to Blaine’s flesh. “Oh no,” he muttered.

“Why does it itch so much?” Blaine asked in annoyance before looking down at his arm, his eyes widening. “Kurt,” he said in a shaky tone as he held his arm out. “Look… you see this? You know what this means, right? You can’t break up with me, Kurt. Not now. You’re my soul mate.”

There on Blaine’s arm was the name Kurt Hummel. After so long of wishing his name would appear on Blaine’s skin so he would know they were soul mates, the name had finally appeared and Kurt wished more than anything that it would just disappear. 

“You see Kurt, we’re meant to be together,” Blaine insisted as he stared down at his arm in awe before stepping closer to Kurt and trying to catch his lips in a kiss but the older boy pulled away. “Kurt, come on, you’re my soul mate. I know it’s a shock and I understand if you’re scared. I’m a little scared too. But we can work this out. We’re meant to be together forever. You can’t leave me, baby. We’re soul mates. We’re really soul mates.”

“I know,” Kurt responded. “I’ve known since I was thirteen,” he lifted his shirt and pushed his pants down slightly to reveal the name on his hip. “I’ve known you were my soul mate from the moment I met you and you told me your name. And I’m breaking up with you anyway. Soul mate or not, I don’t love you Blaine. I have to go,” he said. “I’m sorry,” he told him before walking off down the street leaving Blaine standing alone with Kurt’s name on his skin.


	12. update

My dad is very ill. He doesn't have long left. I don't have time for writing. I will finish the story but please don't expect a new chapter any time soon.


	13. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The news that Kurt had broken up with Blaine travelled fast. The detail about them being soul mates travelled right along with it. Kurt could hear fellow students whispering about him as he walked through the halls and he just sensed that he was the subject matter in the teacher’s lounge. He even heard the adults muttering about him as he went grocery shopping with Carole. As far as most people in the town of Lima were concerned, Kurt was in the wrong for breaking up with his soul mate. Most people seemed to feel sympathy for Blaine as he sulked around with his sad puppy-eyes and many people felt disappointed in Kurt for seemingly rebelling against the concept of soul mates. 

Even half the Glee Club thought Kurt was crazy for ending his relationship with Blaine. Mercedes, Tina and Quinn seemed to have attached themselves to Blaine ever since they heard the news of the break-up and didn’t seem to show any sign of letting the boy go. It hurt Kurt’s feelings that they had taken Blaine’s side so readily. At least the likes of Mike and Artie kept their opinions to themselves and remained impartial, treating both Kurt and Blaine the same as usual. 

As for Mr. Schue, he insisted that Blaine take the solos in order to cheer him up and demanded that Kurt meet with Miss Pillsbury every lunch time so that she might reason with him. Thankfully, to Kurt’s relief, Miss Pillsbury remained convinced that Blaine wasn’t the right boy for Kurt, though she seemed troubled and conflicted with such a thought now she knew of their soul mate status.

XXX 

By the time Glee Club came around on Friday afternoon, Blaine broke down crying during his rendition of ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’. Instantly, Mercedes, Tina and Quinn were on their feet to comfort the boy while Mr. Schue sent Kurt a disapproving look. 

“Ok,” Mr. Schue said. “I know this is Glee Club and we should be rehearsing, but I think we need to have a serious discussion about soul mates.”

Kurt, Rachel and Puck let out a collective groan. 

“Now that is exactly what I am talking about,” Mr. Schue declared fixing Kurt, Rachel and Puck with a stern gaze. “The attitude you three have towards soul mates is appalling. We all expect the bad boy attitude from Puck but Rachel, Kurt… I expect more from you. What happened to the Rachel Berry who jumped at the opportunity to stand in the spotlight singing a classic soul mate ballad? Or the Kurt Hummel who fell so in love with Blaine Anderson? Your boyfriend turned out to be your soul mate, Kurt? Do you know how lucky you are?”

“First of all,” Rachel began standing to her full height (which was admittedly rather short) and staring up at Mr. Schuester with fierce determination. “Noah Puckerman is considerably more than just a bad boy. He is smart, he is talented, he takes care of his family and I for one do not think it appropriate for a teacher such as yourself to insist on stereotyping him in such a fashion. If Glee Club has taught us anything it is that we are more than just the narrow-minded labels assigned to us by society. Yes, Finn Hudson is a jock, Artie Abrams is in a wheelchair, Kurt Hummel is gay,” she listed. “But as with everybody else in this Choir Room they have proved many times over that they are more than that. Secondly, this Rachel Berry still very much loves the spotlight and I will fight tooth and nail to sing a solo if I have to just as long as its not a soul mate song. I am a future Broadway star; I will achieve my dreams by myself and on my own talent. I do not need my soul mate to get what I want. If anything, she’ll only stand in my way.”

A collection of confused looks and mutterings passed around the Choir Room over Rachel’s use of the word ‘she’ll’ in reference to her soul mate.

“Finally, yes, it just so happens that Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson are soul mates,” Rachel stated. “And there you stand, Mr. Schuester, asking Kurt if he realises how lucky he is. This past week, everywhere I go all I’ve heard about is Kurt and Blaine’s break up. Everyone is saying how foolish Kurt is, that he must be crazy, that he’s blind or stupid to give up a guy like Blaine and that he’s lucky to have him in the first place. And everybody is so worried and concerned about poor little Blaine Anderson. Well, what about Kurt? Isn’t Blaine lucky to have Kurt as his soul mate? Wasn’t Blaine lucky to be Kurt’s boyfriend in the first place? Kurt has known Blaine Anderson is his soul mate since he was thirteen years old. Blaine’s known Kurt Hummel is his soul mate for all of five minutes so why are his feelings automatically more important? Incidentally, Blaine was a terrible boyfriend. He never appreciated Kurt, he barely showed up for their dates and he kissed somebody else during a game of Spin the Bottle. So in conclusion, I am declaring myself as part of ‘Team Hummel’ and the Blaine Anderson fan club can kiss my buttocks.”

“What she said,” Puck grunted his agreement.

“We’re ‘Team Hummel’ too,” Santana declared on behalf of herself and Brittany. 

“Enough,” Mr. Schue sighed. “This isn’t about taking sides.”

“Oh please, you’re totally on the hobbit’s side,” Santana argued. “Blaine gets dumped by Kurt so you feel sorry for him and give him all the solo’s to cheer him up. I don’t remember you giving Kurt solo’s to cheer him up when Karofsky was threatening to kill him.”

“Santana, that is completely…” Mr. Schue tried to tell the Latina off but she was already flipping her ponytail and collecting her things.

“C’mon Kurt, let’s go shopping,” Santana said as she took Kurt’s messenger bag for him as Brittany led the way to the Choir Room door. “Coming Berry?” she asked looking to Rachel.

“Um… ok,” she agreed seemingly shocked by the invitation but willing to accept it.

“Um, can I come?” Puck asked scratching at his Mohawk. 

“Sure, you can carry all the bags,” Brittany smiled at him.

XXX

As they trailed around the Mall together, Santana asked Kurt for the details on him and Sebastian. She quickly became disinterested upon realising that Kurt had no real details to offer. So instead she turned her attention to Rachel.

“Ok, Berry,” Santana said. “Fess up to your Auntie Tana, who’s your soul mate?”

“What? I don’t know, nobody,” Rachel lied quickly.

“Oh don’t lie,” Santana rolled her eyes. “I heard your little slip-up in the Choir Room. You said you don’t need your soul mate to help you make it to Broadway and you used feminine pronouns. You know who your soul mate is and it’s a girl. Just tell me her name. Me and Britts could totally teach you everything there is to know about being a super hot lesbian.”

“Sweet lady kisses are the best,” Brittany claimed. 

“Right, and there’s nothing better than burying your face between your girls legs and making her moan as you tongue at her pretty little clit,” Santana added. “With our help, we can have you owning this girl like she’s your own personal pet slave or whatever.”

“That sounds awful,” Kurt commented.

“That sounds freaking hot,” Puck leered. 

“I have no desire to approach my soul mate, at all, ever,” Rachel insisted. “Our status as soul mates is a joke. It will never work between us so thanks for your help but it really isn’t necessary. She’ll never be interested in me and therefore I’m not going to waste any time pining over her.”

“Ok, Berry, the reason this girl isn’t interested in you is because your personality is awful and you are in desperate need of a makeover,” Santana told her. “But Brittany and I are going to make you hot. We’ll get you some slutty clothes and teach you how to put on make-up and then you’ll totally pull this girl.”

“Yeah, totally,” Brittany agreed. “Just try not to talk to her too much. You know, because you’re so annoying.”

“Hey, back off alright,” Puck interjected. “Rachel is happy being single. She isn’t interested in trying to pull her soul mate and she doesn’t need a makeover. She’s hot the way she is.”

“Thank you, Noah,” Rachel beamed while Santana pretended to puke.

“Say anything you want to Berry but I am not leaving this Mall until you are wearing an outfit that can make girls and guys drool,” Santana stated. “While we’re at it, Hummel, you need to work your charm on Sebastian. Honestly, your virginity is really starting to bother me and I really think Sebastian can do something about that.”

“My virginity is not your concern, Santana,” Kurt huffed at her. “And I can’t move too quickly with Sebastian. Not after everything with Blaine.”

“What do you mean?” Rachel asked. “I thought the reason you broke up with Blaine was so you could be with Sebastian.”

“Well, yes,” Kurt conceded. “I mean, not entirely. I broke up with Blaine because I believed it was the right thing to do and he wasn’t making me happy. But I didn’t expect Blaine to be so upset about breaking up and I certainly didn’t anticipate that he would find out we were soul mates just when I decided to end it with him. Now everybody knows we’re soul mates, everybody is talking about it and they all think I’m an idiot for dumping him. What are people going to say about me if I start dating Sebastian Smythe so soon after breaking up with my soul mate?”

“Who gives a fuck what they say,” Puck shrugged. “Be a man, Hummel. If you wanna be gay with this Sebastian guy then go and be gay with him. Blaine never deserved your tight little ass anyway.”

“Puck’s right, you do have a tight little ass,” Brittany said. “But I think you’re right about not moving too fast with Sebastian. You should totally wait until this weekend before you start dating him.”

“I don’t know,” Kurt replied uncertainly. “What do you think?” he looked to Rachel for her opinion on the matter.

“Honestly, Kurt, people will say bad things about you no matter what,” Rachel answered. “It wouldn’t matter if you started dating Sebastian today or twenty years from now. Some people will always hold it against you that you dumped your boyfriend while being fully aware that he was your soul mate. But I know how miserable Blaine was making you. Breaking up with him was completely the right thing to do. At least meet up with Sebastian for a cup of coffee or something. You don’t have to be boyfriends or anything straight away but I think you should at least talk to him.”

“Give me your phone, I’ll text him for you,” Santana offered.

“Absolutely not,” Kurt responded holding his phone out of her reach. “You’ll send him some dirty message about how I’m face-down on my bed holding my ass-cheeks open for him.”

“I was gonna go with you being on your knees waiting to take his cock down your throat, but the ass-cheeks thing works too,” Santana replied. 

“I am texting him to meet for coffee, that’s it,” Kurt typed the message out and hit ‘send’. “There, done.”

“Virgins are so boring,” Santana complained. 

“Having dignity isn’t boring,” Rachel defended.

“Yawn,” Santana drawled. “Sorry, Berry, you bored me so much I nearly fell asleep.”

“Sebastian’s text back,” Brittany squealed excitedly as Kurt’s phone beeped. “What did he say, what did he say?”

“He said he’ll meet me at the Lima Bean in half an hour,” Kurt answered. 

“Aww, and he put kisses on the text message,” Brittany cooed. 

“I’d better get going,” Kurt said. “I don’t want to be late.”

“Hold on, Hummel, you can stay with us another ten minutes at least,” Santana said as she ushered him into another shop. “And if nothing else you need to help me get Berry out of that hideous sweater. Hey, she should wear something slutty like this,” she pulled a scandalous top off the rack and thrust it into Rachel’s arms. “Here, try this on.”

“No, thank you,” Rachel made to put the top back on the rack causing an irritated Santana to yank at her sweater and try to force it off her back. “Santana, stop it, let go!”

“Oh my god,” Brittany exclaimed pointing at Rachel’s exposed lower back.

“Holy shit,” Santana swore staring at the name on Rachel’s skin. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. Lucy ‘Quinn’ Fabray is your soul mate?”

Rachel burst into tears and Santana took a step back looking highly uncomfortable to be so close to a hysterically sobbing teenage girl. 

“Don’t worry, Rachel, its ok, sweetie,” Kurt comforted bending down and pulling her into a hug. “Santana and Brittany aren’t going to tell anybody. Right?” he looked to the two meaningfully.

“No, of course not,” Brittany agreed.

“Right, yeah, no, you can trust us,” Santana added. “Wait, you two don’t seem surprised?” she looked between Kurt and Puck accusingly.

“We already knew,” Kurt answered stroking Rachel’s hair.

“Come on, Rachel,” Brittany called. “We can go and look at the stuffed animals. That always cheers me up. And Kurt needs to go and meet Sebastian.”

“She’s right, man, you should go,” Puck said. “We’ll take care of Rachel, get out of here.”

“I’m fine,” Rachel dried her eyes on her sleeve. “Go and see him, I’ll be ok.”

“Are you sure?” Kurt checked and the short brunette nodded. “I’ll call you later,” he promised before leaving the Mall and heading to the Lima Bean to meet with Sebastian.


	14. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I still don't own Glee or any characters you may recognise
> 
> Thank you for reading/commenting
> 
> Now allow me to celebrate recovering from the flu with a new chapter...

Chapter 12

He didn’t really know what to expect when he met Sebastian at the Lima Bean. Having coffee with the Dalton boy was of course something Kurt had done plenty of times before. There really shouldn’t be any reason to feel so nervous or to check his hair so frequently. But it all felt different somehow now that Kurt was no longer in a relationship with Blaine. He was available to Sebastian now, they could consider it a date if they wanted to and there was no reason why they couldn’t hold hands or kiss one another if they so desired. 

Strutting into the coffee shop, Kurt was relieved to find Sebastian already seated at a table waiting for him. Resisting the temptation to smooth out his hair for the umpteenth time, Kurt strode over and joined Sebastian at the little table. He was very aware that a number of surrounding customers were staring at them and whispering but Kurt chose to ignore it all and act unbothered. 

“Hey,” Kurt smiled sitting opposite the other boy. “Thanks for meeting me. I’ve really wanted to see you all week.”

“You look good,” Sebastian responded as he allowed his eyes to sweep over Kurt’s form. “Being single suits you.”

“Not everybody agrees with that, but thank you,” Kurt replied taking a sip of the coffee Sebastian had already ordered for him. 

“Yeah,” Sebastian laughed. “The news of you and Blaine breaking up travelled fast around Dalton. A lot of the guys are really cut up that you ended your relationship even though it turns out you are soul mates.”

“People at McKinley don’t seem to support my decision either,” Kurt said. “They all think I’m crazy for ending things with Blaine.”

“They’re morons,” Sebastian claimed.

“They just don’t know any better,” Kurt shrugged. “Besides, if I heard somebody broke up with their soul mate I’d probably think they were crazy too.”

“Some of the Warblers even think its my fault you two broke up,” Sebastian revealed. 

“Really?” Kurt asked. “Have they been giving you a hard time?”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Sebastian smirked. “So, how long do I have to wait?”

“For what?” Kurt wrinkled his nose in confusion.

“Until I can ask you for a proper date,” Sebastian clarified. 

“My friend Brittany suggested we wait until this weekend,” Kurt smiled. “And Rachel made a really good point actually. She said it doesn’t matter if we got together tomorrow or in twenty years; there would still be people against it and talking about us saying that I’m wrong to leave Blaine and blah, blah, blah.”

“Blah, blah, blah and fuck them all,” Sebastian continued. “So, if I were to ask you out on a date right now… would you say yes?”

A bright grin broke over Kurt’s face. He tried to conceal his excited giddiness by hiding his mouth behind his coffee cup as he took another sip. In the back of his mind, he was still mildly aware of the people around them gossiping about him; Kurt Hummel, the gay kid who dumped his soul mate. But it was surprisingly easy to block out the voices of nosy onlookers when Sebastian was blatantly undressing him with his eyes.

“Well,” Kurt responded carefully setting his coffee back down. “Perhaps you should ask me on a date and find out for yourself if I’ll say yes,” he teased. 

“As if anybody could say ‘no’ to this,” Sebastian replied arrogantly gesturing down to himself. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at seven,” he declared not bothering to officially ask the other boy out. 

Lifting his coffee back up, Kurt concealed another wide grin, already wondering what outfit he should wear for his date with Sebastian. 

Taking out some school books, they both worked on some homework assignments while they discussed how things had been at their respective schools in the wake of Kurt and Blaine’s break-up. The fact that so many people seemed to feel such pity for Blaine caused Sebastian to roll his eyes irritably. Though it seemed the young gentlemen of Dalton Academy were equally offended on Blaine’s behalf. 

“I suppose many of the Warblers think of me as a traitor,” Kurt laughed dryly. “I shouldn’t be surprised that they’re all siding with Blaine. He was always their perfect little star and I never really fit in with them during my time there.”

“The fact you didn’t fit in only improves your character in my eyes,” Sebastian stated. “Dalton and the Warblers are not meant for boys as devastatingly handsome as us. You and I were always too good to fit in with such mediocrity. We were meant to stand out. Maybe we were even destined to.”

“Is that so?” Kurt asked playfully. 

“I’d say it sounds accurate,” Sebastian remarked confidently. “Here I sit, with a woman’s name on my chest. A name that has been marked on my skin since the day I was born. Yet I grew up to be gay and like cock. And there you sit across from me, Kurt Hummel, the boy who knowingly broke up with his soul mate. Such things are unheard of. But we’re different, see, we’re special.”

“My mum always told me I was special,” Kurt smiled.

“A wise lady,” Sebastian commented. “Tell me more about her,” he requested and Kurt reached his hand out to link his fingers with Sebastian’s as he recalled the few treasured childhood memories he had of his mother. 

In all his time with Blaine, the boy had never once asked to hear more about Kurt’s mother. He’d had countless sleepovers with Mercedes and Tina but they had never expressed any kind of interest in hearing about Kurt’s mum. It had really only ever been Finn to ask Kurt such questions, sharing thoughts and feelings he had for his father in the process. But it was different for Finn to be thoughtful enough to ask because he had experienced such a similar loss and they had become step-brothers. So the fact that Sebastian, who hadn’t experienced such a tragedy as to lose a parent, cared enough to ask about Kurt’s mother and was genuinely interested in hearing a response meant more to Kurt than he could possibly express.

XXX

He didn’t want the coffee date to ever end. In fact, Kurt deliberately nursed his coffee for as long as possible just so he could sit across from Sebastian a little while longer. But eventually they had to leave and part ways, Sebastian promising to show Kurt a good time for their date the next night. 

Arriving home, Kurt was unable to keep the smile off his lips. Being around Sebastian just put him into such a good mood. He wondered if Carole would be open to sharing a tub of ice-cream while he relayed the coffee date to her. Making his way through the house, he fully intended on inviting Carole to enjoy a discussion about Sebastian as they ate ice-cream, but the swarm of butterflies dancing around in Kurt’s stomach came to a halt when his eyes landed on Blaine Anderson sitting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee and a teary expression as Burt and Carole sat opposite him. 

“What’s going on?” Kurt sighed. 

“Where have you been, kid?” Burt asked.

“You were with him, weren’t you?” Blaine accused. 

“If by ‘him’ you mean Sebastian then yes, I was,” Kurt admitted. “And it is none of your business, we’re broken up. Why is he here, why did you let him in?” he asked his dad and step-mum.

“He was upset, it would have been rude to send him away,” Carole replied holding her hands in surrender.

Typically, Kurt admired how polite, sensitive and caring Carole was. She was the type of mother who was so warm and loving that she could play the role of mother to anyone. It was impossible not to feel affection for her. But given the current situation, Kurt felt slightly resentful that Carole was so naturally kind and maternal. 

“I think you should leave, Blaine,” Kurt said. 

“I can’t, I’m your soul mate,” Blaine made a show of revealing Kurt’s name marked on the skin of his arm. “We have to be together. That’s how it works.”

“Not always,” Kurt argued. “Seriously, Blaine, please just go.”

“You can’t keep pushing me away, Kurt,” Blaine retaliated. “Your name is on my skin. That means you belong to me. Tell him, Burt.”

“What did you just say?” Burt asked looking at Blaine in disbelief. “My kid doesn’t belong to you. Kurt ain’t a toy, Blaine.”

“No, of course not, that’s not what I meant,” Blaine tried to backtrack. “But his name is on my skin. That means he’s my soul mate, which means he’s mine.”

“No,” Burt shook his head. “Being somebody’s soul mate does not mean that they belong to you. Kurt is not a… what’s the word I’m looking for?”

“Possession,” Carole supplied.

“Right,” Burt nodded. “Kurt is not a possession. He is a person and he’s capable of making his own decisions. And, Blaine, kid, if Kurt ain’t choosing you then you need to back off and leave him alone.”

“What?” Blaine looked between Burt and Carole in total shock that they weren’t taking his side. “But I’m Kurt’s soul mate. Sebastian is just some crude slutty boy who isn’t interested in Kurt like that anyway. Everybody knows Sebastian has a thing for me.”

“Really?” Burt asked sceptically. “Because the first thing that Sebastian kid ever said to me was that my son is beautiful and you didn’t deserve him.”

“Blaine, honey,” Carole said gently. “I know this is a confusing time. It’s always intense and emotional when the soul mate name appears. And the break-up couldn’t have had worse timing,” she sympathised. “But you are a smart and talented handsome young man. There are plenty of nice boys out there who would line up for the chance to date you. They may not be your soul mate,” she acknowledged. “But that doesn’t mean they can’t be the love of your life. Finn’s dad was my soul mate but Burt made me feel a kind of love I didn’t know was possible. It may not seem like it now, honey, but breaking up is the best thing for both of you. Everybody in this room is immensely grateful to you, Blaine,” she continued. “We all know that you’re the reason Kurt’s still standing here today, happy and confident and still shining like the star he is. You are his soul mate and you’ve helped Kurt become the person he was meant to be. But just because your names are on one another’s skin doesn’t mean you’re destined to be together romantically. And the two of you can stay friends,” she pointed out. “But only if you allow it. If you go around behaving like a jealous ex-boyfriend then that’s all you’re ever going to be. Why don’t you think on that, sweetie? Come on, time to go home.”

Kurt changed his mind. He couldn’t resent Carole for her kind-natured ways. It was such behaviour that got Blaine out of his house. 

“So, um, what exactly is going on here, buddy?” Burt asked his son as Carole saw Blaine to the door.

“Well, I broke up with Blaine,” Kurt explained. “He wasn’t being a particularly good boyfriend to me lately.”

“What do you mean?” Burt asked protectively.

“Nothing bad,” Kurt said quickly. “Just… he was neglectful I guess. He kept cancelling our dates and most of the dates he showed up to he invited somebody else along too. It just wasn’t working, dad and he didn’t make me feel… special. And I deserve to feel special.”

“Damn right, you do,” Burt nodded. “So, Sebastian, he’s making you feel special?”

“Not at first,” Kurt admitted. “I couldn’t stand him when we first met,” he recalled. “And I honestly couldn’t have imagined falling for him but there’s just something about him. I don’t know what it is but I think it would make me really happy trying to find out.”

“Ok… ok,” Burt mused. “But this whole thing is crazy, you know that right?”

“Why is it crazy?” Kurt asked.

“You’ve dumped your soul mate,” Burt stated bluntly. “And that Sebastian kid has a girl’s name on his chest; I’ve seen it.”

“I know, I’ve seen it too,” Kurt shrugged. “But it wasn’t working with Blaine and Sebastian is gay. These names on our skin don’t dictate who we can fall in love with.”

“Alright, as long as you know what you’re doing,” Burt told him. “And I like Sebastian, he’s a good kid, but if he breaks your heart I’ll break his legs.”

“I’m sure that won’t be necessary,” Kurt said. “But thanks, dad,” he smiled.

“Kurt, come on, honey,” Carole returned to the kitchen and dug out a tub of ice-cream and two spoons. “Tell me all about Sebastian.”

“Grab another spoon, kid, I wanna hear this too,” Burt requested so Kurt fetched another spoon just as Finn appeared seemingly having been able to sense that there was ice-cream. “Sit down, Finn, its family ice-cream time,” Burt claimed and Kurt picked up another spoon for his step-brother. 

“Mmm, chocolate chip, awesome,” Finn said happily helping himself to ice-cream and seemingly unaware of the conversation happening around him.

**Author's Note:**

> To Be Continued...
> 
> Love and Hugs, IQR xox


End file.
